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Sean O'Brien's gesture to Irish nurses working on the coronavirus front line
By Liam Heagney
2017 British and Irish Lions star Sean O’Brien has become the latest rugby player to give accommodation for free to medics on the front line in the fight against the coronavirus.
Ex-Wales midfielder Jamie Roberts made some positive headlines a few weeks ago by giving his flat in Cardiff up to the health service.
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“I offered the flat to the NHS and they have managed to get a doctor into it,” he reported at the time. “It is about mobilising resources and I would encourage anyone else who has resources to do the same.”
Now ex-Ireland back row O’Brien, who had been spending his first season in the Gallagher Premiership at London Irish, has earned kudos for the gesture that has seen him give up his Dublin house to two staff nurses.
Taking to Instagram to show appreciation for O’Brien, who moved from Ireland to England this season following a long career at Leinster, nurse Lydia Caslin wrote: “Just want to give Sean O’Brien a huge shoutout for loaning is his house rent-free during this pandemic.
“We are staff nurses working together in Dublin. Alannah had to leave her rented accommodation due to working on the front line and I have moved out of my own home for the safety of a family member being immunocompromised.
“It’s people like Sean we need during this crisis. His kindness and generosity have blown us away. There’s a light at the end of this tunnel, friends.”
O’Brien hasn’t been the first Ireland back row to offer up accommodation during the crisis. Robin Copeland, the player capped once by Joe Schmidt in 2014, handed his house in Galway over some weeks ago to Saolta, a health care group comprises hospitals in the Connacht region.
“I’d just like to say a massive thanks to everyone who retweeted and liked my post last week about the rooms for HSE staff, I have been in touch with a lady from @saoltagroup who is helping to find workers who need such accommodation,” tweeted Copeland.
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I guess the other option would be to start ALB, he's looked good in the 12 so far when he starts and sets up those outside him. But that would mean putting the vice captain on the bench, which is unlikely. Another option would be to drop Reiko to the bench and play Proctor, though he's gone home so that's not going to happen either.
Both of those players just offer more of the soft distribution skills good centres learn from playing their careers there. Unfortunately that's what's lacking with the current combo.
Go to commentsWhatever let's see if this load of waffle is still valid in 2 years time. ABs will rise we have a lot of new talent coming through. The NPC was the highest standard for years. The game is changing to suit the fast pace we like to play. We get to play the Springboks more, including the franchises, which will make us better! Overall I am optimistic. I will add having watched the England game multiple times we made most of the play. England are an awesome physical team, but you can expect the All Blacks to get better and better at executing the chances. It could easily have been 5 tries to one instead of 3 to 1.
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