Paul O’Connell admit his was embarrassed by the rousing reception he got from the Aviva Stadium crowd after his final home game.
He has nothing to be embarrassed about, but we were not going to argue.
The Ireland captain was give a marvellous goodbye by home and Welsh fans alike after his side fell to a 16-10 defeat.
‘It was embarrassing a little bit,’ O’Connell conceded, ‘when you have lost the game and it’s your first hit out as well.
‘I certainly felt a little bit rusty. It is very hard to play as well as you would like in your first start.’
Asked about the fanfare around his final Irish game at the Aviva, O’Connell said, ‘I really appreciated it, even when I came out for the warm-up and my name was announced, I really appreciated it.
‘I really appreciated it at the end. I was a little bit embarrassed.
‘It is not nice when you have lost the game to walk into the middle of the pitch and give the crowd a wave. That is the disappointing part but I really appreciate the reception.
‘I love playing here in Dublin. It’s a great city.
‘Lansdowne Road is an incredible place and I’m really disappointed with today but hopefully I will look back on it in a few months on a really nice occasion.’
