35 years young and hungry for more trophies.
Paul O’Connell’s phone was hopping almost as much as the Irish fans above him in the Murrayfield stands as he answered questions on a final day of the 2015 Six Nations that will long live in the memory.
O’Connell becomes the first Irish captain to lead his team to successive trophies, in the northern hemisphere’s premier competition, since 1984. The last outright, back-to-back success was 1949.
Ireland, needing to beat Scotland by 21 points to give themselves a title chance, ran roughshod over their hosts and won 40-10. It was a change to the tactically cautious approach that had previously defined their championship.
‘This is my 13th championship,’ O’Connell said. ‘Anytime you win a championship, I don’t care what way we play. To win a championship is an amazing feeling.
‘To go back-to-back is incredible. It is a very difficult thing to do. Ireland is a small island. We have four professional teams. It just goes to show how good the athletes and players we have are. It also goes to show, the way the provinces are ran and the way, strength and conditioning wise, we are run [as players] too. We have smaller resources.’
Asked if the victory would tempt him to declare, on the spot, he would play in the 2016 tournament, O’Connell responded, ‘If it does finish, it’s a great way to finish. If it doesn’t, it is still a great memory to have.’
The Irish captain praised the performances of England and France in the final match, noting that the English would take confidence from the day, going into the World Cup.
O’Connell hailed Jamie Heaslip’s last-ditch intervention on Stuart Hogg, to deny a late Scottish try, and the sound system at Murrayfield during the title celebrations.
‘Even with the crowd afterwards and the music,’ he remarked, ‘it was like Robbie Henshaw’s 21st birthday with the 1980s hits coming out.
‘It was an incredible day… a lot better craic than last year anyway.’
Hat-tip @killeroc for post-match quotes
