Sean O'Brien has committed his long-term future to Irish rugby.

The IRFU has announced that the former European Player of the Year has signed a new three-year central contract, which will see him remain at Leinster until after the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

O'Brien's last appearance for Ireland was a man of the match display against France at World Cup -although he did receive a ban for striking Les Bleus' Pascal Pape - while he is set to return to action for Leinster this weekend after recovering from an inner-ear problem.

The Tullow native says that he is very grateful for the opportunity to sign with a club that he feels is going in the right direction under head coach Leo Cullen and Leinster CEO Mick Dawson says that the flanker is a particularly significant player for the province.

"I think Sean's a great example to all the young people playing rugby in the province that the Leinster pathway system we have in place and the effectiveness of it nurturing homegrown talent from the grassroots in Tullow up to the very top level going forward is very important for us," said Dawson.