Donnacha Ryan has a suggestion for Paul O’Connell’s first gig in coaching.
As soon as the great man announced his retirement on Tuesday morning the debate began over where his life post-playing might begin.
Could Munster find room for him under Anthony Foley? How about a secondment with Ireland? Or will he stick with his Top 14 plan and learn the ropes in France, like Ronan O’Gara.
His former team-mate Donnacha Ryan has another possible employer.
“I hear Young Munster’s under-8s are looking for someone if he wants to start out somewhere easy,” said Ryan with a smile today at Ireland’s base in Carton House.
All joking aside, the Munster lock knows better than most the knowledge O’Connell has to impart. The opportunity to learn at the feet of the master kept the Tipperary native at the province even when a starting place in the second-row was blocked by his namesake Donncha O’Callaghan.
Having made his debut in 2004, Ryan had to wait until after the 2011 World Cup to become a regular in the Munster engine room, but he turned down offers from other clubs in order to train alongside the line-out master.
“To be a student of his was such an incentive for me to stay in Munster and sacrifice game time to have the ability to train underneath him and learn properly how to be a line-out caller,” said the 32 year old.
The pair formed a formidable partnership at Test and provincial level for a number of years and Ryan spoke of the difference simply sitting with O’COnnell in the dressingroom could make to his attitude.
“Being alongside him in the dressingroom and getting ready alongside him just made you raise your game. When I was getting ready alongside him I never felt like competing against a different player (opponent), I always felt I was competing against him.
“He is the best second row in the world, his level of intelligence, it was incredible how he approaches the game, the science he brought to the line-out was amazing,” said Ryan, who only learned of O’Connell’s enforced retirement on Tuesday morning, like the rest of us.
Having spoken to O’Connell in the past fortnight, it came as a shock to Ryan to hear that O’Cnnell’s Toulon dream was not going to work out.
“It’s a shame to see it didn’t work out for him below in Toulon, but when your body is your business that is the nature of the beast. I wish him all the best in whatever he decides to do,” said Ryan.
“I was shocked. I only heard about it this morning. I was talking to him a couple of weeks ago and he said it was tough but the recovery was going okay.
“I imagine doing all that stuff by yourself would be tough going.”
Ryan has recently returned to a Munster team that has struggled at times this season under Anthony Foley. O’Connell has already ruled out an immediate return to his home province, but Ryan reckons whoever does secure the 36 year old’s services will be hiring an excellent coach.
“He is a fantastic communicator, very, very positive. That is the biggest thing, he is a really good communicator and the positivity that he has.
“As a leader the best thing he does is he gets you to do things you didn’t want to do and enjoy it at the same time.
“That was the mark of the heavy gains we got, he would go to the well a lot. You would know full well he would go there and he would be the first up to do it. He led by example,” said Ryan, who played the final 17 minutes of Ireland’s draw with Wales on Sunday.
“Any club who are looking at adding to a coaching ticket would be knocking on his door as well, but I’m sure he has his own plans for what he has in mind. I’m sure he is making sure his health is alright, with his leg and stuff.”
Whether it is Young Munster’s under-8s or elsewhere, Ryan has no fears for O’Connell.
“I’m sure he will a success in whatever he does.”
