“I am the kind of player who feels best playing games”
MUNSTER Captain Paul O Connell, speaks to Postsport this week about his current injury which has seen the lock forward on the sidelines since February 20 last.
The injury, an infection in the pubic symphysis, has seen the Irish international sidelined since the last Six Nations game of the season against Scotland.
Indeed, the former Lions captain has not pulled on the red of Munster since January of last year, when Northampton came to town in the Heineken Cup pool stages. A lay off which has been a little frustrating for the proud new father.
“I have never really injured myself to be honest, so it is frustrating in that way. If you get a break or a bang in a match you can kind of accept that, but this is an infection, so that was harder to get over really. Once I got a handle on it in the pubic symphysis, it was easier to get over the injury. There is minimal blood flow to that area, so it was taking longer than normal to heal. I will be on oral antibiotics until the end of this week. I am back doing a decent bit of training over the last three weeks. So I am on the mend. I think it is still going to be a slow process from here, but I am definitely on the mend.”
With such an important season ahead, what with Heineken Cup, Magners League, Six Nations and a World Cup, the Limerick giant, who turns 31 in October sees the season as being separate periods, ones in which he wants to play in.
“Well I hope that once I am back and available to play, I will play out the rest of the season with Munster and Ireland wherever possible. I am the kind of player who feels best playing games. Getting to play a lot of games and not too much rest in between is what suits me, to be honest. It is something that didn’t happen for me last season you know. I would love to get five games in a row and maybe then a week off and then five games again. I would like to do that until the end of the season and then look at World Cups and stuff like that. The World Cup is in September so we will get a good break in the summer anyway so. I can’t really see anyone else being different than that really.”
First things first for Paul and Munster fans alike. The return date for the talisman is still unknown, more out of experience than severity of injury.
“I don’t really have a return date in mind to be honest. Since the week after I got this injury, I have been looking for return dates. It has been a bit hit and miss at times and it has frustrated me and the physios too, so this time I am not looking at any one date or match week for a return. Right now, I am just taking it week by week and doing different things at training. It has been a case of doing one thing in training and if I do not react to it, I move on to the other. The progress is the getting steadier over the last few weeks so I am happy enough at the moment”.
One thing O Connell has been able to do is run the eye over what is coming up behind him in the Munster set up. Some players are making an impression and causing a little bit of pressure.
“I am based in Limerick, so Dave Foley would be one that would catch my eye. Peter O Mahony, Dave Ryan, Ian Nagle, Mike Sherry, Scott Deasy and Danny Barnes are serious operators also. We need those young lads to come through to the team and become leaders. We need those lads to come forward and drive Munster on. I think those lads gained great confidence and experience from the B&I cup last season so they now need to be putting pressure on the older lads in the squad. They are killing themselves in pre-season and they have been at it now for three weeks so they are really taking their opportunities. I think by week six we will see the benefits and they will be making competition for places”
With the Heineken group of death to look forward to, competition for places is going to be vital.
“We have an unbelievably tough group to be honest, but that can be a good thing. It focuses the mind and we all know what to expect from sides such as Toulon, Ospreys and London Irish. They are three very tough teams with big budgets and big ambitions. So they are going to be really tough games. That makes for good rugby and great spectacles for the fans, so we just have to focus now and be ready when the time comes”.
One thing is for sure, when the time comes, O Connell will be back, fit, willing and able.
