GRENOBLE COACHES BERNARD Jackman and Mike Prendergast have enlisted the help of Paul O’Connell, the club confirmed this afternoon.
The Alpine club say the former Ireland, Munster and Lions captain ‘will spend the next few days’ with the club and is present for today’s home meeting with La Rochelle.
The statement adds that O’Connell is with the team while his family takes in a ski holiday on the ‘last days of open slopes of the Alpe d’Huez’.
Earlier, Canal+ reported that the newly retired Ireland legend will apply his line-out expertise over the coming ‘two to three weeks’ — a time-frame which would include the Challenge Cup clash at home to Connacht.
O’Connell of course, is a former team-mate of Prendergast, who has been working with Jackman in eastern France since 2013.
Grenoble have been without a forwards coach since the December sacking of Sylvain Begon. So the second row’s line-out nous would be a significant boost as the club look to cement their place in next season’s Top 14 with games against Oyonnax and Castres either side of the European quarter-final at home to Pat Lam’s high-flying westerners.
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