New deal will keep O’Connell with Munster until 2009

PAUL O’CONNELL has signed a new deal with the IRFU, keeping him with Munster until 2009.

One of the finest second-row forwards in the game, O’Connell has been coveted by some of the wealthiest clubs in England and France and even by teams in the Southern Hemisphere, who traditionally only go with home produced talent.

O’Connell’s IRFU contract was up in May but he has committed to staying through the World Cup in France in the autumn of 2007 and at least to the end of the 2008/09 season. Coming shortly after a similar move by Brian O’Driscoll, the news augurs well for the immediate future of the Ireland, Leinster and Munster teams and may motivate a number of those waiting to sign deals to stay at home.