The COVID-19 lockdown has plenty of rugby players finding other ways to compete, and perhaps it’d be a surprise to learn what George O’Brien is doing.

The scampery scrumhalf from the Raleigh Redhawks, whose speed and elusiveness characterizes a very high-energy game, likes … fishing.

“We go out to the ponds near my house to fish for bass, and we’ll go out later for Spanish mackerel,” O’Brien told Goff Rugby Report. 

Fishing, of course, takes a lot of patience, a lot of stillness—things O’Brien isn’t known for.

Of course fishing also requires you to wait for that moment, and then—BAM—set the hook and make your move. That’s O’Brien without a doubt.

George O’Brien started his rugby in Raleigh because his dad’s law partner coached the game and, in fact, started the Redhawks. Dad suggested George give it a try, and it was a good suggestion.

The Redhawk Way

“I started in third grade and I loved it,” said O’Brien. “You don’t have to be a certain size to play. Everyone gets to touch the ball. Not everyone has just one specific job. It’s a team game. All of those things appealed to me.”

O’Brien has been a Redhawk ever since. In a game where youth-to-high school programs can be a rarity, and even more rare is continuity in coaching and teammates, O’Brien has actually had it kind of sweet.

“I’ve been with basically the same players and the same coach my entire time here,” he said. “We’ve built a really good relationship.”

The relationship has allowed O’Brien to express himself as a running scrumhalf, and he has excelled, making him a potent attacking threat both in 15s and in 7s.

“If I just sit there the whole game and just pass the ball, I know I’ll eventually get bored,” he explained. “So having that option to run when I want to it makes the game more interesting. I think it makes it harder for the defense, too, because they have to watch for that. With the Redhawks, my teammates know me pretty well, so they’ll usually read when I’m going to run. They can tell when I see a gap and I’ll probably go.”

A Sea Change

Joining select sides and teams not familiar with his style has forced O’Brien to adjust, and also community more. He went on exchange for one fall semester to the Monmouth School in Wales, a hugely respected school that is also a monolith in rugby. That was an educational opportunity that helped jump-start his sophomore year.

“It was a really fun time,” said O’Brien. “Rugby is their sport and it worked out. One of my coaches with the Redhawks is from Wales and he knew one of the coaches at Monmouth. It was an opportunity I didn’t want to turn down.”

O’Brien said the Monmouth kids were surprised to see an American show up in Stars & Stripes rugby shorts and a tanktop who actually knew the game.

“They assumed I had no idea what I was doing but then I got to play and they were like, ‘what the hell? He knows!’”

And he learned. Playing at Monmouth taught O’Brien plenty about working with a new team and fitting into a game plan, while also injecting your own talent. He also learned more about being a good students.

“Time management was a big thing,” said the scrumhalf. “It forced me to keep time available for my schoolwork so I could also play rugby. I had to concentrate on that instead of just hanging out with my friends. It was good. I started to get good grades and be more independent.”

Select-Sides Come Calling

He came back for the spring season with the Redhawks ready to go, and did so well he was tabbed by Eagle Impact Rugby Academy to tour Ontario. But a broken collarbone halted that plan.

“I felt I was a loop behind everyone else,” he said. “I went to Ontario the next year, and then played in Ireland the year after that, but I felt I had to play catchup,” explained O’Brien. “I worked hard to build good relationships with the players and the coaches, and it’s been really fun to travel and play rugby. I learned a lot from all of them, and especially thanks to coach Salty Thompson my passing off the ground has improved by miles, and so has my accuracy. My box kicking had definitely improved.”

Feeling like he was behind all those players who got to go to Ontario his sophomore year was probably the wrong assumption. He had developed as a player and a person at Monmouth, and really had just completed a full school year of intense rugby. O'Brien wasn't done. The North Carolina all-star team (for whom he was playing when he broke his collarbone), then USA Rugby South, and EIRA all saw O'Brien on the field. He played at the Las Vegas Invitational, and also for the North American Lions in Dubai.

This past March he helped EIRA U18s win the U18 Elite bracket at the LA Invitational, and over the winter played in the HS All American series against the Canadian U18s.

“I feel like I caught up well,” he said. “Missing that first tour to Ontario was a setback, but I got there.”

Next Stop, Tucson

With the truncated high school season over, he now looks ahead to the University of Arizona. There he will perhaps be a replacement for another dynamic running scrumhalf, Matt Rogers, who is graduating.

“I wanted to go to a big school, and I wanted the opportunity to travel to play,” O’Brien explained. “I knew Coach [Sean] Duffy and I like him. I wanted to go to business school, and I wanted a good education with good, competitive rugby. Arizona checked off all those boxes, and when I went on tour, I fell in love.”

So he saw the opportunity and grabbed it. That seems to be a theme with George O’Brien. Keep an eye on this one, and make sure you concentrate, because if you look away, he’ll be gone.