Paul O'Connell: 'Some guys fade away, those guys have got better and better'

Ireland's Peter O'Mahony and Conor Murray celebrate with the Six Nations trophy last year. Ireland trio Cian Healy, Peter O'Mahony and Conor Murray have announced they will end their international careers following the conclusion of this year's Guinness Six Nations. Pic: Liam McBurney/PA Wire.

Paul O’Connell has hailed the sheer longevity of Peter O’Mahony, Cian Healy and Conor Murray after the announcement that all three will bring their long Ireland careers to a close at the end of the current Six Nations.

O’Mahony and Healy will finish up as professional players at the end of the season. Murray will move abroad for a new playing opportunity. 

Between them, they have played 371 times for Ireland and given a combined 50 seasons to the Irish team’s cause. Not to mention contributions to their provinces.

“Yeah, it's been amazing in this era to stay playing for as long as they have,” said O’Connell, the current Ireland forwards coach. “To stay as important to the teams they play in for as long as they have is probably the big thing.

"Some guys fade away, those guys have got better and better and more important in some ways. You just can't beat experience sometimes. To have seen the picture so many times makes you better with what unfolds in front of you. Those guys are particularly good at it.

"So the caps they've accumulated, big games, big moments, they've come back from injuries, they've come back from setbacks with their provinces and with Ireland and they're a great example to the rest of the team.” Familiarity with their posts has bred anything but contempt.

O'Mahony has started the last two games against Scotland and Wales – completing the 80 minutes in Cardiff – but all three have had diminishing onfield roles in more recent times. The new circumstances have not dished their wider influence.

“One of the big things they give us at the moment is how much they enjoy it. Like, it's a nice thing when you're a young player and you see an old player and how much fun he has when he's in camp, even though it's not new to him anymore.

“We've been in Carton House since they started so it's all pretty familiar to them. I think how much they enjoy it, how much they enjoy hanging around with the lads, how much it means to them to play for the team, and how much they show that on the big days is great.

"As an ex-player even it's nice to see that they love it maybe as much as you did as well, so it makes you believe that you're kind of right that you felt this team was really important. So it's been incredible.

“They're a great example to the young players. They get on great with guys from all across the provinces, that's the nice thing about them as well. Some of them, they're best mates in the team are probably from other provinces.

“It's a great example for when other players come into the squad.” 

Next Saturday week’s Six Nations game against France will be the last opportunity all three have to play for their country at the Aviva Stadium, but there is also the small matter of a Championship title and Grand Slam bid to keep in mind.

O’Connell was able to report that captain Caelan Dorius is back training and in the running for a return to the team next week having missed the last outing away to Wales while Jack Conan is “looking after his back a little bit” as things stand.

Conan is confident that he will be okay while Rónan Kelleher has also trained on Thursday. He also watched the Cardiff win from the sidelines. Tadhg Furlong, yet to feature in this campaign, is back rehabbing with his club but is not ruled out as of yet either.

“I just think because there’s been a few false starts,” O’Connell said of Furlong who has played just 48 minutes of rugby since October and regularly been described as ‘progressing well’ in various Leinster and Ireland bulletins.

“He wants to be sure about it, and the medics want to be sure about it and not have another false start. I’d say if he had no history with that calf he might be back by now, but they just want to make sure and he wants to feel sure and feel confident himself as well.”