IRELAND captain Paul O’Connell, whose contract is up at the end of this season, is still trying to figure out his future. The Munster lock has yet to put pen to paper on a new IRFU/Munster deal and with several clubs in France and England on the look out for international forwards, the lack of white smoke on a new contract for the Munster legend is worrying for Irish and Munster fans.
When asked this week if O’Connell would follow Conor Murray in signing a new two year deal with the IRFU, the former Munster captain replied, “Hopefully. I am trying to figure out my future at the moment. It is kind of delicate so it is not something I really want to discuss. I am delighted with the news that Conor has signed with us. He is a great player. A big player for us. He is a very modest and quiet fella.”
O’Connell, 34 since October, does however see himself remaining on the playing field until at least the 2015/16 season.
“I would probably like to play up to the next World Cup and that season as well. I would see where I am after that. If the body is in good shape, I would like to keep going after that. It all depends. I enjoy it more than ever. I enjoy the training more than ever. Which is probably one of the most important thing in guys I have seen who have come to retirement. They enjoy the matches and the big days, but they are not necessarily enjoying the training or the preparation which goes into it and that is one of the parts of the game that I enjoy more than ever. I am always trying to improve. It isn’t easy in some ways. In rugby you have so many things to prepare for. With scrums, line outs, defense and attack that individually you don’t get time to work on what you would like. Trying to figure all that out is the really enjoyable part of the game. So as I said, I would hopefully like to play that season up to and after the World Cup in 2015. I will see after that”
With Peter O’Mahony, Simon Zebo, Conor Murray and Tommy O’Donnell all signing on with Munster for the foreseeable future, the powers that be in the IRFU will be looking to secure the services of their 88 times internationally capped, Lions captain.
For more on Paul O’Connell and the build up to this weekend’s Heineken Cup Pool 6 clash with Perpignan, see this week’s Limerick Post Newspaper.
