WATCH: O’Driscoll breaks down Sam Arnold’s defensive prowess.

Sam Arnold made his European debut last weekend and with centres Taute, Farrell and Goggin still on the injured list, the former Ulster player can expect more game time as we head into he busy festive period.

Arnold himself is no stranger to injury with large portion of his Munster career to date dogged by knee problems. How good it must have felt for the 21 year old to finally get a run of games culminating in his man of the match performance last Saturday.

Sam Arnold presented with his man of the match award

One notable centre who noticed Arnold’s performance was Brian O’Driscoll. The former Irish legend was not only noted for his attacking flair but was also a fine defender.

As part of his work with BT Sports, O’Driscoll identified a particular aspect of Arnold’s defensive game that helped shut down the Leicester attack. Arnold’s “closing of the gate” was a key factor in shutting down the Leicester attack through the centre channel.

Video credit BT Sports.

Aspiring number 13? ✋
Just a rugby nerd? 🤓@BrianODriscoll puts on a defensive masterclass for centres… 👏#RugbyTonight pic.twitter.com/2D6ZAyjT1Q

— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) December 13, 2017

Of course it wasn’t the only factor in Munster’s win as the pack worked tirelessly at the breakdown to stifle Leicester’s attack. It is however great to see Arnold making big impact.

Let’s hope we will see a repeat performance as Munster head to Welford Road it the return looking got record back to back wins over the Tigers and take control of the pool.