Cautious O’Connell edging closer to fitness

THE MEDICAL treatment is over, he has returned to the gym and the running track, and at last Paul O’Connell can think about playing rugby again.

The Munster and Lions captain has been sidelined since March due to a mysterious bone infection in the groin area that defied the best efforts of the medics to diagnose and treat. The problem was eventually identified and thus began a lengthy treatment process which kept O’Connell wrapped in cotton wool for much of the summer.

But over the last five weeks the Limerick man has made huge strides, to the delight of provincial and national management and fans alike. Understandably after a season of setbacks, he isn’t announcing return dates just yet.