O’Connell: Players the problem — not Penney’s game plan

Paul O’Connell may be a welcome sight in a Munster jersey after almost five months out through injury but for his team-mates that also means listening to another plain-speaking voice in the dressing room.

O’Connell’s recovery from December 31 surgery to correct a bulging disc is such that he feels just one more game away from reaching full match fitness. That game looks set to come on Friday night in Glasgow after the 33-year-old lock successfully came through 80 minutes in his first senior outing for Munster since October in last Saturday’s 22-0 victory over Connacht at Musgrave Park.

The intervening period has seen O’Connell watch his team-mates struggle with form, particularly during the Six Nations window, with many placing the blame on the new game plan being deployed by head coach Rob Penney.