THE END IS nigh. Not of Paul O’Connell or his incredible feats on a rugby pitch, but for his time in a Munster jersey.
After 14 years, 173 appearances, 19 tries, four trophies and a bottomless pit of his own blood and sweat, the Limerick man will take on Glasgow Warriors in Belfast knowing that he will not don the red jersey again.
It’s been a hell of a journey.
Paul O’Connell made his debut against Edinburgh in 2001. 14 years on, he was still carrying the fight to them
Making yards with the ball in hand was never his strongest suit, but it took a brave man to take him down
A natural leader, all other ‘alphas’ instinctively rowed in behind
The ultimate piece of artillery in maul
Be it in attack…
…or defence
As a line-out jumper, he remains imperious
Making red ball steady and opposition possession an absolute nightmare
There were bad days
Sad days
Miraculous days
All of them were Tough Days
But we’ll all remember the great days
One thing never changed, commitment
He’s played against the best
Played with the best
And he has been the best
He has waved goodbye to a golden generation
He’s ushering in a new one
Paul O’Connell, the man that made European rugby fear Munster
