O’Connell on mend but likely to miss Cup opener in Paris

Paul O’Connell delivered some positive sound bytes when questioned about his fitness yesterday but the Munster and Ireland lock remains a major doubt for the province’s opening Heineken Cup fixture next month.

The 32-year-old played just three more times for Munster last season after injuring his left knee midway through the Six Nations campaign.

He then sat out Ireland’s three-Test summer tour to New Zealand and his recuperation has been complicated since by a back spasm.

Though he put in a full week’s training with the province last week, O’Connell has yet to endure a full contact session and didn’t sound hopeful he would feature away to Racing Metro 92 on October 13.

“I’d love to play in Paris,” he admitted yesterday. “It would probably be too soon in terms of match fitness. If I got back sooner rather than later, perhaps. I’ve been avoiding putting dates on it. It’s been so frustrating. I’m just going week to week.”

The short-term prognosis may be a depressing case of more-of-the-same for a player who joked about how so many of his injuries have had a tendency to drag out into indefinite time periods but the longer-term outlook is more positive.

The knee he described as being “pretty much A1”. It is now just a case of waiting on the back and the hope is that he will get to test the body in a contact drill today at Carton House at Ireland’s two-day training camp.

“It’s not worrying. I’d love to be back playing. To be at your best, the more games you play the fitter you get and the sharper you get. It’s just frustrating from that end, it’s not worrying … I’m not worried about anything structurally in terms of my future career.”

O’Connell’s frustration has been accentuated by the fact that he has to sit out the opening games of Munster’s bright new era under coach Rob Penney who has been waiting patiently for the province’s talisman to return.

Three wins and one loss have left the two-time European champions second in the Rabo league ahead of two tricky road assignments against Ospreys on Saturday and Leinster seven days later in Dublin.

“It’s been great,” O’Connell said of the start. “There was always a great buzz every pre-season but it’s probably been better this year with a new way of doing things, new way of playing. It’s really good with some very expansive rugby with very good tries. It’s been very good to watch. It’s frustrating as well, to be on the sidelines watching it unfold.”