Ireland's Mr. Versatile, Jimmy O'Brien, has admitted that he hasn't even thought about Andy Farrell's final World Cup selection ahead of the Monday deadline.
Farrell will cut his 41-player panel to 33 for the World Cup in France, and naturally, there will be some notable omissions on the 28th of this month.
O'Brien, who has come on leaps and bounds in an Ireland and Leinster jersey, can play a number of different roles on the rugby pitch and will be one to watch out for on Monday.
Despite the looming selection quota coming around the corner, the Leinster star has revealed that he knows as much as the public regarding who has a seat on the plane to France.
"He hasn't given us anything; we just heard the same as you about whenever the official announcement is, so we haven't heard anything yet," O'Brien said on Tuesday.
"You're not even thinking about that, to be honest. You're just trying to get on with it. To be honest, it's not really talked about. Lads aren't saying, 'Oh, it's getting picked whenever,' or whatever it is. Everyone's kind of focused on the game this week.
Ireland back Jimmy O'Brien says he hopes to achieve his "big dream" of playing in the Rugby World Cup 🏉🏆
More ⤵️#BBCRugby— BBC SPORT NI (@BBCSPORTNI) August 23, 2023
"Whoever gets picked, I'm sure will play well. And then the lads preparing them will prepare them the best they can to play against Samoa.
"So it's not really a talking point at the moment."
The 26-year-old, who can play 15, wing, and 13, was asked if being able to play in more than one role for Ireland and Leinster would help boost his chances of making Farrell's team. O'Brien was coy on the idea that it helped. However, he hopes that he can achieve his dream of putting on an Ireland jersey at a Rugby World Cup this year.
"I think it's a dream of any young lad growing up playing rugby in Ireland. I obviously watched World Cups, everything like that. To be honest, years ago, I'd never have thought I'd be this close to making it. So, yeah, it'd be a big dream of mine," he added.
"I'm just trying to fit into the team and do what I do well, not trying to go off on your own. I think that's the opposite way of going about it. We talk about being the best version of yourself, and that's how everyone else around you is going to play well. I'll just try to do what I do well for Leinster and in the previous games I've played for Ireland, and hopefully, that gets me picked."
Ireland plays Samoa on Saturday in their final game before the World Cup. The game kicks off at 7.45 pm.
