“Tough times” at Munster mean Paul O’Connell might look elsewhere for first coaching gig

For now Paulie is happy to choose the couch over being a coach.

The former Ireland and Munster captain will make his punditry debut this Saturday for BBC1's coverage of Ireland's Six Nations clash with France. Having announced his retirement from rugby on Tuesday morning it would seem the 36 year old is in no rush to head straight into coaching. But, speaking to RTÉ's Michael Corcoran O'Connell sounded like a man who could and would be tempted back into the rugby fold before too long. The baptism of fire Anthony Foley has received since taking over from Rob Penney as Munster head coach might dissuade O'Connell from following the same path as his former team-mate and captain. Like his good friend Ronan O'Gara he seems inclined to earn his stripes away from Munster before, potentially, returning to his home province.

“I have a great affinity with Munster and the coaches there – Anthony Foley, Brian Walsh and Jerry Flannery. It’s tough times for them but they are getting their Masters’ degree as coaches. “It’s a tough experience for them but I’m sure it’s making them far better. If you want to be good at anything you have to learn the ropes first. “For me, it would be serving an apprenticeship for the next few months or years. If I ever end up doing something with Munster it would be a few years down the line.”

For now O'Connell will enjoy his retirement, do a little TV work, look after his business interests and get to work on this year's nailed-on Christmas best seller.

“I’m doing a book at the moment and I work with a few companies – Pinergy have been great for me in the last few years, looking over the fence to see how the real world works. “I am involved in a few initiatives around Limerick too and I will probably play a bigger part in those."

However he expects to hear the clarion call of rugby again before too long. “I will have a look at coaching as well, it is something that interests me. Some days it really interests me and others it is the last thing I want to do. “If you have a young family it’s a difficult job to do but certain roles in rugby interest me. You can’t be part of something so long and not want to be part of it." It seems the keen stalker of the links is ruling out a post-retirement golf career, a la Michael Jordan.