WHILE TWO French teams were going through their gladiatorial business in the European Cup final in Paris on Saturday, Tullow's Irish international flanker Sean O'Brien was leisurely directing barbeque business at a friend's home. It is welcome downtime for one of the latest recruits to the international scene, although a broken leg playing for Leinster earlier in the season cost him a place in the Ireland squad for the forthcoming tour of New Zealand and Australia.

Resuming training a little too soon, he collected a strain which further delayed his rehabilitation.

He could have joined the touring party and continued rehab on the fly, but he chose to remain at home for what he felt was a much-needed rest after two tough years for Leinster and having won his first green shirt against Australia in Croke Park and then against world champions South Africa.

'I had feeling that I wouldn't be going, but I had an option of going and continuing my rehab. It wasn't official, but I decided to take a holiday and continue rehab at home because I hadn't been away in a few years, and go back fresh.

'Sometimes you have to get away from rugby, and I have not had a holiday for almost two years. It's been rugby, rugby, rugby constantly, eating and sleeping rugby. So it's time to get away, chill out and do my own thing for a while and come back refreshed in mind and body.'

Topping his agenda is to get as many matches in Leinster blue and then hopefully be in the mix for Ireland's preparations for the World Cup in September 2011. But in the meantime there is the Aviva Stadium opening match between Leinster/Ulster against Munster/Connacht on August 7 and the November internationals against South Africa, Samoa, New Zealand and Argentina, and Sean will want to be in the thick of that action.

'I have no fears of not making the World Cup squad if I'm fit,' he challenging David Wallace and Shane Jennings for the No. 7 shirt.

'It will take a lot of sacrifice next year to make it to New Zealand,' adding that he has several goals outside of rugby to achieve also, but either way to be part of the Ireland WC squad will mean living the hermit for many months.

He gives Ireland a serious nod for the World Cup. 'I can see Ireland winning it, to be honest. I think we have the players, despite all the talk about front rows and all that. This is different, different coaches, different systems, a younger squad with a lot more energy and with the changing management the players have learned new techniques.'

Sean heads for New York shortly for a few days where a friend's father is opening a new pub, after which he heads for Jersey for his rugby-playing banker brother Stephen's wedding. ('No, he's not one of those guys with the big bonuses,' quips Sean)

He looks forward to spending as much time as possible in Tullow. 'I love coming down and seeing all my friends, and hopefully I'll be involved with the club (Tullow) next year as well, and with the Fighting Cocks and Kilbride clubs as well' for whom he helps out with training and a little psychology, an aspect not always addressed by clubs. 'It's about who is cleverer on the day usually comes out on top.'

Sean feels both the Cocks and Kilbride will do well this season 'It was great to see Joe Waters back; he had a tough time, but then it's all about community at the end of the day.'

He was among the Carlow fans at the Carlow/Wicklow championship match in Portlaoise. 'It was a disappointing resultÉyou win some and you lose some. I would have been disappointed with the referee, but I know that's not an excuse either. No, they didn't play as well as they could, but then it's all on the day. Hopefully they'll prove themselves better in the qualifiers, especially now that everyone's writing them off now.'

In the meantime he will continue rehab, gym and circuit training the week after his holiday, and that three weeks before he joins his Leinster colleagues for the pre-season programme which begins on July 1.

- PAUL DONAGHY