O’Connell: We won’t underrate Wales
O'Connell, making his international debut two seasons ago, crashed over for a first-half try but then stumbled from the field with concussion. A lot has happened since, at provincial and international level, including his appointment as captain a week ago in the surrounds of the Stade de France.
But with Brian O'Driscoll back in harness, O'Connell is happy to hand over the armband.
"It's not disappointing at all," he said. "When you're captain, you can't mess or anything so it's like having your childhood back for the week. It was great as a once-off but I don't know if I'd like to have it week in, week out.
"Captaining the team, leading the team out and talking to the lads is brilliant but there's a lot of other stuff behind the scenes that isn't so enjoyable, so I don't think I'd like it on a permanent basis just yet.
"Looking back, France was an opportunity missed. They were the better side but we made silly mistakes which we're trying to cut out of our defence. Then, if we'd had the bounce of the ball at the other end, it could have been a lot tighter."
Many believe that the partnership between O'Connell and Donnacha O'Callaghan will become a permanent Irish fixture. However, given his relationship with O'Callaghan's predecessor, Malcolm O'Kelly, the giant second rower is pragmatic about the change.
"Dunners sets very high standards and Mal is the same," he observed.
"The rest of us try to aspire to that and match his tackle rate and work rate around the field. There's excellent competition there for the second-row between the three of us and it will be good for the pack to get Dunners' hunger involved."
It is hoped the O'Connell- O'Callaghan Munster axis will, in the words of coach Eddie O'Sullivan, "spice up the Irish forward play".
However, O'Connell downplays such a suggestion, asserting that "Six Nations rugby is a big step up from the Heineken Cup" in the aftermath of last week's game.
Then again, his debut against the Welsh two years ago was also a big step up.
"I got an elbow from one of the Quinnells after I went too high into a tackle in the first five minutes.
"I don't remember the rest of it. I came off after 28 minutes. It was a good day only trouble is I don't remember too much about it.
"The doctor told me when I came off that I had scored a try but I thought he was only trying to calm me down and cheer me up. I went into the medical room at half time and saw it on TV and that was the first I knew of it. Every line-out I got to, I asked John Hayes the calls. After doing hundreds of line-outs during the week, I couldn't remember a single one. It was a strange game. It was a small bit disappointing, but these things happen in rugby. It's the only time I've been concussed."
Ireland can't claim they were unaware of the strength of the Welsh, should the result not be to their liking on Sunday. The warnings were there in the World Cup and in their thrashing of Scotland last week.
"They transformed themselves from the first three games in the World Cup. Maybe Steve Hansen, who is leaving in the summer, has told them to just go out and play. They have loads of skilful players.
"They may have been too structured under Graham Henry and they're now playing the way they see it. They have some excellent players, Cooper, Gareth Thomas, the Williams's.
"They went through a dip, but the dip was more surprising than their form now. They were always going to come good."
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