PAUL O’CONNELL may be an intimidating presence on the pitch, but it seems he’s no stranger to a bit of craic.
With just a few days to go until Saturday’s opening World Cup game against Canada, O’Connell sat down with Johnny Sexton and Robbie Henshaw to talk about the season that was, and their own experiences of tours and tournaments just gone.
There are plenty of gems in this, and most seem to involve O’Connell taking the mick out of his teammates.
First, he talks about the recent Six Nations win, and the novelty of winning the tournament while drinking a pint of Tennents.
Then the team’s “intern” Robbie Henshaw finds himself as the butt of the joke, before Johnny Sexton’s age and physique get a roasting when they move onto the out-half’s early days with the national side.
It’s not all jokes though. There’s also plenty of serious chat, and the trio’s roundtable discussion about the upcoming World Cup is sure to build the excitement further ahead of Friday’s big kick-off.
