McGahan taking O’Connell return one step at a time

MUNSTER coach Tony McGahan has welcomed Paul O’Connell’s return to provincial action but stressed that the management “don’t want to push him too early.”

O’Connell, injured since March, received a rousing welcome when he came on as a 53rd minute replacement in Saturday’s 16-9 Magners League win over Cardiff Blues at Thomond Park.

The appearance, coupled with 40 minutes for Young Munster a week ago, have been O’Connell’s only competitive games since the Six Nations as he battled complications arising from a groin problem.

McGahan said: “It (his return) is fantastic for Paul and fantastic for Munster. It is fantastic for the supporters too in that he has been gone a long time from the red jersey. To get back in the mix is terrific and the squad got a huge boost.

“He’s fit looking, but he looks after himself really well and he has worked very hard with our fitness staff who did a great job in getting him back. The 40 odd minutes he had last week and the 25 now will accumulate, and he will be the better for that in the long run,” the coach added.

However, McGahan is unsure if O’Connell will be part of his plans for Sunday’s Heineken Cup assignment against Ospreys — preferring instead to look at the bigger picture.

“We’ll have to wait and see, it could be a bit of a stretch at this stage. The important thing is that we want him here to play for the rest of the season. We don’t want to push him too early.

“And we’ve got some strong depth there in the second row, with Donncha (O’Callaghan) and Micko (Mick O’Driscoll). Donncha Ryan comes back into the mix next week with Ian Nagle, Billy Holland and young Dave Foley there too.

“We have plenty of guys ready to do the job. We just have to make sure what we do is what’s best for Paul and, more importantly, what’s best for the team.

“Each level (club to Magners League to Heineken Cup rugby) is a huge step and we have to ensure if he’s on the field that he’s able to compete, (we have) to make sure we put him in the right situation.”

His colleagues were also delighted at O’Connell’s return, with man of the match Damian Varley declaring:

“Having Paul back is brilliant. One only had to witness the reception he got from the fans but I know all the players were equally enthused to have him back on the field.”

Varley believes Munster will have benefited from the physical nature of Saturday’s game ahead of their return to Heineken Cup action at the weekend.

He explained: “Cardiff are a very good team. At the back end of last year, they put us under a lot of pressure and it was the same again (in this game). They were very physical up front and it required a big effort.

“But the physicality of the game should stand to us; it’s good preparation anytime you have to work hard - when you make lots of mistakes and when you grind it out and get the result. The win is also good result going into next week. Yes, there are areas to work on, but there are a lot of positives to take from it as well.”