Paul O'Connell
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| Player information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paul O'Connell | |
| birthday | 20th October 1979 | |
| place of birth | Limerick , Ireland | |
| Nickname | Big Red, GOD, POC | |
| society | ||
| society | Munster rugby | |
| position | Second row striker | |
| Clubs as active | ||
| Years | society | Games (points) |
| 2001-2015 | Munster rugby | 175 (95) |
| 2015-2016 | RC Toulon | 0 (0) |
| National team | ||
| Years | National team | Games (points) |
| 2001 | Ireland A | 1 (0) |
| 2002-2015 |
 Ireland
|
108 (40) |
| 2005, 2009, 2013 | British and Irish Lions | 6 (0) |
Paul O'Connell (born October 20, 1979 in Limerick ) is a former Irish rugby union player who plays in the second row . He was active for the Irish national team and Munster .
Career
O'Connell made his debut for Ireland against Wales in the 2002 Six Nations and scored a try . He was part of the Irish squad for the 2003 World Cup and the 2004 Six Nations , where he was the captain of Brian O'Driscoll in the game against France . In 2005 he was nominated for the British and Irish Lions tour and played for the full 80 minutes of all three official test matches, apart from a 10-minute penalty.
After a long injury break, he played an important role in Munster's final in the Heineken Cup . He also won the Triple Crown in the Six Nations with Ireland , again capturing France and Scotland . Because of his strong performances, he was now considered one of the best second-row players in the world.
In November 2006, O'Connell was the only Northern Hemisphere nominee for Player of the Year. Next to him were Dan Carter , Richie McCaw , Chris Latham and Fourie du Preez . The International Rugby Board ultimately chose McCaw.
O'Connell scored the last attempt at Lansdowne Road Stadium , which has been completely rebuilt since 2007 and is being converted into a fully seated stadium. At the Six Nations 2007 he was voted Player of the Day in the historic 43:13 victory of the Irish over England due to an outstanding performance. He had intercepted several alleys by the English and secured the defensive of Ireland with numerous successful tackles, but also acted as a driver of the offensive. His unwavering commitment and leadership skills make him one of the idols in modern Irish rugby.
At the Six Nations 2009, the Irish reached the second Grand Slam after 1948 , O'Connell was in the starting line-up in all games. Ian McGeechan nominated him as captain for the British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa .
He sustained an injury against France at the 2015 World Cup. For this reason, he ended his career after he was only recently taken on by RC Toulon , but did not complete a single game.
In his youth, O'Connell was a well-known swimmer before settling for rugby union. For his autobiography The Battle , published in 2016 , O'Connell received the Irish Book Award in the category "Sports Book of the Year 2016".
Web links
- Profile at the Irish Rugby Football Union
- Profile at Munster Rugby
- Profile with the Lions
- Profile on the Pro12
- Profile at ESPN
Individual evidence
- ↑ IRB announces Player of Year nominees. (No longer available online.) IRB, July 23, 2006, archived from the original on April 3, 2008 ; accessed on March 21, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ McCaw named IRB Player of the Year. (No longer available online.) IRB, November 23, 2006, archived from the original on June 12, 2008 ; accessed on March 21, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ O'Connell to skipper Lions. Sky Sports, April 21, 2009, accessed April 21, 2009 .
- ↑ O'Connell Announces His Retirement ( Memento of the original from February 12, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English), accessed February 19, 2016
- ↑ O'Connell to return early in 2016 , accessed February 19, 2016
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | O'Connell, Paul |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Irish rugby player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 20th October 1979 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Limerick , Ireland |