Paul O’Connell won’t be returning to Munster any time soon

Former Munster captain Paul O'Connell has said that he still needs to gain more experience as a coach before returning to the province.

O'Connell joined French club Stade Francais last summer but will leave Paris after just one season after citing differences in the way the club runs things to how he would like to see operations run.

"I don’t have any regrets," he said on RTE's Morning Ireland. "I think they do some things very, very differently there to the way I would like to do them so I’ve decided to move on. It’s been a fantastic year for me and the family. "I suppose you learn how lucky we are in Irish rugby: the structure, the way it’s run is far better suited to the long-term development of the player. It’s very competitive from a business point of view in France. It’s very hard to think long term there."

O'Connell previously worked with both the Munster Academy and the Ireland U20's but insists that he still needs to coach with other teams before considering a move back to Munster where he spent his entire career as a player before a short stint with Toulon.

"The coaches that are there are doing a fantastic job and I’m sure they’ll remain there,” he added. “It’s really enjoyable now to come back and go to a game with my family. I think you’d have to be very, very sure before you ever went back there or if they ever wanted you to go back there. “For me I’d have to gather a lot more experience to have the confidence to do the job well. I won’t be back there in the short-term future anyway.”