O’Connell urges young Irish stars to stay at home

Give it another few years at least.

That’s the advice from Paul O’Connell to Simon Zebo — whose name was linked this week with a move to Toulouse — and others like Conor Murray and Peter O’Mahony, whose current Munster contracts come to an end next June and who may be tempted by a move to the south of France.

O’Connell, speaking yesterday at the University of Limerick where he received an honorary doctorate in Science, spent 15 memorable seasons with Munster and Ireland before deciding on a two year move to European champions Toulon.

Before coming to that decision, he agonised long and hard and is convinced his timing is right for himself personally. But he is now 36 as against the likes of Zebo, Murray, O’Mahony, Tommy O’Donnell who are in their mid-20s. O’Connell believes their long-terms careers would benefit from staying at home for the foreseeable future.

“I don’t think I’d be recommending the move to France for a young player,” he stated. “If you want to play your best rugby for Ireland, I think you’d be better off with one of the provinces. I saw it with Jonny Sexton last year whereby we’d play two big international games and the guys playing with the provinces would then have a weekend off, be able to go home and switch off.

“But Jonny would fly back to France and have a game a few days later against a side of the strength of Clermont away from home. And then he’d come back and have to play an international again another few days later. And after that, of course, came another Top 14 game.

“I really think it’s a difficult way to play your best rugby. Guys who have longevity in their careers in the back of their minds and want to be successful for Ireland and be the best they can be when the play for Ireland need to realise that. For me, it’s different. But of course I wouldn’t rule it out for players. I haven’t been there yet but for me I’m looking forward to the experience and I think it’s going to make me better at whatever I do.

“I’ve been around the Munster set-up for the last few weeks getting rehab and physio and there was a brilliant buzz there. There’s an incredible ambition with the players and the coaches. Look at the current skipper stepping in, CJ Stander, look at how much it means to him, how he prepares, trains, plays — Munster is in a very good place when they can bring over a young guy like that and in a very short period of time he becomes part of the furniture.

“Felix Jones was the same, they became bigger Munster men than guys born in Limerick and Cork. We’ve got to keep our best players in the province and hopefully we can do that.”

So, if and when Simon Zebo calls and asks for Paul O’Connell’s advice on any move to France, is that a definite NO from his one-tine captain with Munster and Ireland?

“I’ll tell him that he has got to weigh it up between playing your best rugby for Ireland and making decisions that are best for you,” he replied. “There is no doubt going to France would be a great experience and there’s a lot to be learned there.

“Everyone is different. Everyone does things for different reasons. Plenty of players have gone abroad, Micko (O’Driscoll) did it, Jonny Sexton did it ... lots of players have gone abroad and come back, Tomás (O’Leary) is back and playing great stuff for Munster. We don’t all have to take the exact same path in life. People have to make their own decisions and learn from them.”