Paul O'Connell will play his club rugby with French giants Toulon when he eventually recovers from the terrible hamstring injury he suffered in Ireland's final pool game of the Rugby World Cup, and he is making the move abroad only after retiring from international rugby.
That decision is one that O'Connell only would have made when playing for Ireland was no longer a factor, as he is adamant that anyone who wishes to represent the Irish rugby team should play their club rugby in this country.
Speaking at the Irish Independent Property Industry Excellence Awards, O'Connell left no doubt about how he feels on the subject, citing Jonny Sexton's move to Racing Metro as an example:
I don't think any player who still wants to play rugby for Ireland or wants to play well has any business playing in France or playing abroad. You get very well looked after when you play here with the provinces.
When we play the Six Nations it's a format of two games on, one weekend off, one game on, one weekend off, and then two games on. The last two seasons, those two weekends off were a good opportunity to recover and rest not just physically but also mentally.
Johnny was always flying back to play a game against Clermont or play really hard games. It's great that he's back. He's an incredible player. He's not just a great player, he's a great guy. Everyone looks up to him. Even the old guys look up to him. It's great Ireland have brought him back.
It's interesting that O'Connell suggested that playing for the provinces sees players being well looked after, considering a contract dispute with the IRFU was Sexton's reason for leaving for France, but the point on travel and rest time is surely a valid one.
With reports that Simon Zebo may be heading away in the not too distant future, it will be interesting to see if O'Connell's words have any impact considering his standing in Irish rugby.
via Independent.ie
