Irish rugby legends expect hero Paul O’Connell to soldier on

Former Leinster stars Shane Byrne and Malcolm O’Kelly believe natural drive, a sharp rugby brain and sensible training can extend Paul O’Connell’s rugby career into 2016 at least.

There has been much speculation about the Munster lock’s future after he hinted in a recent TV3 interview that he was considering retiring after this autumn’s World Cup.

That would potentially make the upcoming Six Nations Championship his last in a green jersey, but speaking at the launch of the Annual Stuart Mangan Memorial Cup in Donnybrook yesterday (which will pit a star-studded Ireland Legends squad against their English counterparts on February 28), both were optimistic this would not be the case. “I can’t imagine him just stopping, saying ‘ah well, I’m not going to continue on,” Byrne remarked.