Paul O'Connell - the man I love to hate!

'Cos he is too ruddy good and a total pain in the backside to Scotland and the scots teams in the pro 12 too many times - thank goodness he will no longer be biting us on the bum!

A great player and a good guy. Leads by example, never takes a backward step. Plays hard and fair and is an example to all.

Shame to end his international career with an injury. I hope the green machine go on and make him proud. But I will be glad never to see him lining up against my teams again.

Awesome player and even better leader -hard to compare him and O'Driscoll but for me there has been no better Irish player, possibly sportsman in my lifetime. He's irreplaceable and was playing some of the best rugby of his career in the last few seasons.

I hope he fully recovers and gets a good run at Toulon to round off a phenomenal career. If not he certainly has plenty of high points to look back on for Munster, Ireland and the Lions.

Who knows maybe that gobshoite Heaslip might let him lift the webb ellis yet ...

Some opposing players I have a genuine dislike of which is usually based on the fact that they are much better than my lot, Dallaglio is a classic case, if he was welsh I would have married him, simple as we're all pretty fickle on here. POC on the other hand for me is one of those fellas who no matter how much you lose against them you don't end up disliking him. That is a rare quality IMO and perhaps says more about him as a person than a rugby player, although they are hard to separate. What a wonderful career from a top bloke. Well done Paul O'Connell a man amongst men.

Sad end to a great international.

Ah thats terrible news, what an international career. I hope the Irish lads can lift the cup for him

Really feel for the guy as that's not the way he would have wanted to go out. Munster and Ireland have been a different team when Paulie was leading them, a definite once in a generation player for those teams. Hope he enjoys his final days at Toulon and earns that salary top up he deserves.

"Dallaglio is a classic case, if he was welsh I would have married him"

Ahhhh but he was half Irish, half Italian. He was only hours away from heading to the Irish camp when England came knocking......damn it!!!

I always loved to hate Wee Shane Williams. Utter class personified and a talent the like of which comes in very few generations. Will we even see his like again?
He was always stunning Ulster and Ireland with his skills so I rarely got a chance to cheer for him. Thanks to the Lions I did though

Pete330v2 wrote:
I always loved to hate Wee Shane Williams. Utter class personified and a talent the like of which comes in very few generations. Will we even see his like again?

Mrs Milner Skuddy says yes! - anyway this is a POC thread, no chat about twinkle toe wingers!

Paul will be very sanguine about the whole thing.  
He more than most rugby players has played long enough, in a very combative attritional rugby style with Munster and into Ireland, to know that the end can hit at any time when you play to the max with passion and scant regard for personal safety.
That feeling in him has just grown the longer he's lasted and the older he's become.  You can just sense it every time he speaks, that realisation that he's just very lucky to be still playing - game per game per game.

The pity is that the man has looked the fittest and honed he's looked in his entire career - he looked hard and pretty damn splendid as he stepped out onto the field as our Captain.  He appeared fully ready for the challenge to the end of this campaign, whenever it might come.  And for him, the end has come.

I hope the guys get the performance levels (and a little luck ) to go a few more steps towards that final.  They gave O'Driscoll a pretty good send-off.  They and we owe this mountain man as much.

I always hated Gareth Thomas every time he scored a try he would run around the post tapping him self on the head.      it used to drive me batty.

Paul O'conell as been a great player for Ireland and will surely be missed. it is a shame his carreer ended like it did. I wish him well for the future.

It didn't look good as soon as he got injured on Sunday, shame he has had to end it like this. Great player good luck for future.

majesticimperialman wrote:I always hated Gareth Thomas every time he scored a try he would run around the post tapping him self on the head.      it used to drive me batty.

Paul O'conell as been a great player for Ireland and will surely be missed. it is a shame his carreer ended like it did. I wish him well for the future.

Nothing wrong with Alfie doing that. He's a Bluebird mun.

Huge shame for POC. Never nice for any player to have to go out in an unplanned manner, but with a very good chance of Ireland having three more games in this comp it is a pity to his to have ended this soon. Top player.

All those months learning Spanish to crack the Argentine line-out calls wasted!

I try so bliddy hard to dislike him, especially when he plays against England. I mean I really, really try, but you just can't. He is everything a lock should be and seems to get better with age.

Bad luck Ireland, but hats off to POC. One of the true greats

That's a terrible end to an international career but you feel it was on the cards given how he was putting himself about on the pitch and his recent injury troubles.

mikey_dragon wrote:Really feel for the guy as that's not the way he would have wanted to go out. Munster and Ireland have been a different team when Paulie was leading them, a definite once in a generation player for those teams. Hope he enjoys his final days at Toulon and earns that salary top up he deserves.

Better have an iron clad contract in place cos wouldn't put it past Toulon to try and get out of it if the recovery time ends up being months rather than weeks.

Huge respect for Paul O'Connell. Felt genuinely sorry for him on the 2013 Lions tour, and this is another crying shame. Actually feel worse than when England were knocked out.

The 2009 Lions tour was a revelation for me because it showed just how good individual Irish and Welsh players were. POC was at the heart of it all.

Victor said he was his greatest ever opponent. Enough said really.

Like Jean De Villiers, few exit at the top... most who do exit a little bit prematurely. Those who tend to push the envelope so much injury/defeat/being dropped is the only way it happens.

Had a great career. Irish/Lions captain, 4 world cups squads, 3 lions squads.

however I do wonder what he can do post retirement? The type of guy who doesn't look like he'd enjoy being a pundit and simply sitting on the sidelines. Am sure he'll be leaving his boots in his car for the first few years just in case his respected sides need an extra man come game day.... that or form a double act with Jamie Cudmore.

fa he's retiring from international rugby but he will be playing for Toulon once he comes back from this injury. He was going to retire outright before they made him an offer- he had finished up with us. He is doing the smart thing and the right thing, going out at the top of his game and officially retiring to allow some of the talent we have to come through.

Funnily enough, I think he is as close to his best now than he ever was. He still has the ability to have a good couple of years of performing at the top of the European club game.

It's such a shame. Tough as teak, magnificent technician, great leader and a right pain in the backside for any team that faced him. International Rugby will be poorer without him. A fabulous example of the ultimate professional rugby player who would sail into any international side. I, as a proud and deluded Englishman, will miss watching him play.

Enjoy the rest Paul

Paul said thanks very much lads.

I'll be back for the semi after the leg is healed up on Friday.

Pot Hale wrote:Paul said thanks very much lads.

I'll be back for the semi after the leg is healed up on Friday.

It's all been said really, but a great player and a johnsonesque talisman  for those around him. Easier to warm to as a character than johnno which I guess is why he's collecting kind words from all quarters. A real shame that he didn't get to see his swan-song through. Fairytale endings are the exception not the rule in professional sport.

International rugby has lost one of it's finest characters and players.
All the best for the future big fella.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHc2YwdgIog

Still makes me giggle just thinking about it

Thats very good lostinwales

fair enough.

Great picture from 2012- Brian O'Driscoll and Paul O'Connell join the Boyne RFC U9s for a team talk;

"Did you scare anyone! Did you put the fear of God into anyone! Did you get stuc......................"
"Paulie, they're only 8 year olds"
"Fair enough"

Forget about your two years in Toulon Paulie and just come into Ireland as forwards coach.