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21st Mar 2015

‘I thought the title was gone’ admits Paul O’Connell after Six Nations nail-gnawer

The Irish captain was influential in Ireland's success

Patrick McCarry

The lads are going to tear it up in Edinburgh this evening/tomorrow morning.

Ireland captain Paul O’Connell was feeling incredible after his team retained their Six Nations title ‘in bizarre circumstances’.

O’Connell told RTE, amid scenes of celebration at Murrayfield, ‘[England’s 55-35 win over France] was such a tough game to watch. Fair play to England. I thought it was gone a few times in the second-half [at Twickenham].’

He added, ‘The first time in 65 years to retain the trophy, I’ve heard… just brilliant. It is incredible to lift the trophy two years in a row. Amazing and brilliant.’

O’Connell admitted that the music blaring out on the pitch during the awards ceremony reminded him of the 21st birthday party he recently attended for Robbie Henshaw.

Ireland coach Joe Schmidt commented, ‘It’s going to be the death of me. That [England match] was pretty tough viewing [but] all this makes it worthwhile.”

“These nights don’t come around too often,’ he replied when asked about the upcoming World Cup. ‘I’m going to enjoy the night with an incredible group of players and a great support staff.’

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