Recognising true greatness as we bid farewell to Paul O'Connell, a hero of our time

Following his departure from the stage he dominated for so long, it is easy to fear there may never be another Paul O’Connell. However, he has left a template that others are already following, and that may be his greatest legacy, writes Jack Power

WE should be more careful when we choose our heroes. We should choose people we might possibly emulate as well as admire and love.

Maybe we should choose people who don’t so spectacularly, so soberingly, show the great chasm between the mundane, the dish-washing ordinary that most of us wade through every day and what it is to be a once-in-a-generation, life-celebrating, life-enriching force of nature.