Irish rugby legends expect hero Paul O’Connell to soldier on

Former Leinster stars Shane Byrne and Malcolm O’Kelly believe natural drive, a sharp rugby brain and sensible training can extend Paul O’Connell’s rugby career into 2016 at least.

There has been much speculation about the Munster lock’s future after he hinted in a recent TV3 interview that he was considering retiring after this autumn’sWorld Cup.

That would potentially make the upcoming Six Nations Championship his last in a green jersey, but speaking at the launch of the Annual Stuart Mangan Memorial Cup in Donnybrook yesterday (which will pit a star-studded Ireland Legends squad against their English counterparts on February 28), both were optimistic this would not be the case. “I can’t imagine him just stopping, saying ‘ah well, I’m not going to continue on,” Byrne remarked.

“But it comes to us all. The Saracens game wasn’t exactly a cracking one for him, but his own standards, his own drive is so much he’ll be back. I expect him still to be an absolute stalwart for the Six Nations.”

And Byrne doesn’t see any reason why the World Cup should be O’Connell’s swansong. “I’d love to see him keep going, to see him see his contract out [until 2016]. There’s your deadline. Unless there’s something he knows that we don’t know. Because I can’t imagine the guy’s psyche and the drive he’s had so long would just stop there.”

Having played alongside him in Ireland’s second-row on numerous occasions, O’Kelly knows O’Connell better than most, and feels a more structured training regime could help to prolong his career beyond this autumn’s showpiece.

“I think Paul should keep going until he really feels he’s done. He says he’s carrying a lot and struggles to train like he used to, but that happens when you’re going into the latter stages of your rugby career,” O’Kelly stated.

“You still have a lot to offer on the pitch. You’re offering your brain. He just needs to maybe say, okay, well I’m not going to be the best trainer in the world anymore, but I’ll look after myself and I’ll get plenty more years. It’s up to whether or not he has the energy in the brain to do it and the mindset to continue.”