Patrick Lloyd O'Brien (born in

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

) is a South African

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player for the in the

Currie Cup The Currie Cup () is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier domestic competition, four South African franc ...

and the Rugby Challenge. His regular position is lock or flanker. Great club and amateur performances have led to his Western Province sevens and Currie Cup debuts. He has since moved on to take up a provincial contract in Italy.

Career

O'Brien played club rugby at Western Province club sides Helderberg and Villager before being included in 's wider training group prior to the

2013 Currie Cup Premier Division The 2013 Currie Cup Premier Division was the 75th season in the competition since it started in 1889 and was contested from 10 August to 26 October 2013. The tournament (known as the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division for sponsorship reasons) wa ...

. He failed to make an appearance for them, but joined

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia Queensland * Kimberley, Queensland, a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas South Australia * County of Kimberley, a cadastral unit in South Australia Ta ...

-based side for that competition. He made his first class debut against near-neighbours the and made his first start a week later against the . In total, he made nine appearances for in 2013, seven in the Currie Cup Premier Division and two in the post-season promotion/relegation series against the . In 2014, he returned to

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

to play for in the

2014 Varsity Shield The 2014 Varsity Shield was contested from 27 January to 31 March 2014. The tournament (also known as the ''FNB Varsity Shield presented by Steinhoff International'' for sponsorship reasons) was the fourth season of the Varsity Shield, an annual ...

competition, scoring one try in his four starts for the side. He moved to

Nelspruit Mbombela, formerly Nelspruit, is a city in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province. Located on the Crocodile River, the city lies about by road west of the Mozambique border, east of Johannesburg and north of ...

to join the for the 2015 season.

References

1989 births Living people Griquas (rugby union) players Rugby union players from Durban South African rugby union players Western Province (rugby union) players Rugby union flankers Alumni of Paul Roos Gymnasium 21st-century South African sportsmen {{SouthAfrica-rugbyunion-bio-1980s-stub