Quinlan impressed by young Irish stars

Former Munster and Ireland back row Alan Quinlan has expressed his admiration for some of the young players making an impression for the Irish provinces this season.

Quinlan has been particularly impressed by the progress of former Munster teammate Peter O’Mahony whose accomplished performances as Munster captain at just 22 years of age have earned him acclaim at home and across Europe.

"I think Peter O'Mahony's form has been fantastic,” Quinlan told RTÉ Sport.

“He is a guy who I have seen firsthand in training over the last number years and he has a very impressive attitude to the game - always willing to listen and learn. He has the natural skillset and attributes to become a great player.”

Looking beyond his old team, Quinlan has joined the chorus of praise for exciting Leinster centre Eoin O’Malley, who has the daunting task of filling Brian O’Driscoll’s boots while the Irish captain recovers from surgery.

The Tipperary man also sees promise in Ulster scrum half Paul Marshall who has pitched in with two tries so far this season and is providing Ruan Pienaar with serious competition for the number 9 jersey.

"I have been very impressed also with Eoin O'Malley for Leinster. He has been fantastic and is a guy who excites with ball in hand, (and) Paul Marshall has been in and around the Ulster team for a couple of years but he has really stepped up this year and showed a lot of form."

As Ireland look to move on from a World Cup of highs and lows, Quinlan has championed the inclusion of some of these promising players in the international setup to further their development ahead of the Six Nations.

"It is a great opportunity now with the World Cup gone for Declan Kidney and his coaching staff to call in some of these young guys, give them a little bit of a taste of what it is like to be around the top players in Ireland and make a few changes."