Paul O’Connell: ‘It’s probably the last time I will play for Munster here’

Paul O’Connell acknowledged that the Pro 12 semi-final win over Ospreys was probably his last match for Munster in Thomond Park. The Ireland and Lions secondrow now faces into next week’s final against Glasgow in what could be his final game for Munster.

“It probably is. It probably is. I said before that summer would be the time for fully making all those decisions but yeah it’s probably the last time I will play for Munster here,” said O’Connell after Munster’s 21-18 win.

O’Connell added that he believes all the errors that came from Munster are easily fixed before they travel to Belfast for Saturday’s final.

“I don’t think the errors are down to the system,” he said. “I’d two or three missed tackles and we’d an intercept try. You don’t have to work hard on the training ground to fix an intercept try.

“Same with our exit that time where we went for the chip at the end of the line. I don’t think it’s a system error. It’s probably a few chats and a bit more organisation and communication and better decision making.”

O'Connell said that he prayed that referee Nigel Owens had spotted the knock-on before Ospreys scored what would have been a heartbreaking try in the dying seconds.

“Oh God I thought I’d missed a tackle that was going to cost us the game although I was sure it was a knock-on,” he said. “I was fairly sure it was two knock-ons. I was running back praying that the referee would go back to the TMO and check. I was delighted when I saw it was a knock-on for sure.

“It’s a strange feeling I think we did so many things really well and then shot ourselves in the foot completely. We scored some really good tries, played some really good rugby. Maybe just five, six probably more, glaring errors put us on the back foot. We handed over 12 really easy points and we had to work hard for our tries and our points. That was disappointing.”

O’Connell pointed to Munster’s poor record in recent years of bringing home the silverware when they have had the chances. This season’s job is far from complete.

“Certainly the job isn’t done,” he added. “We have had a poor record in semi-finals in recent years. So to have gotten over that hurdle is great. I suppose we had a really good reputation in the past at being good at knock-out rugby. But in the last eight finals we have been quite poor.

“So to get a win over the line, especially against Ospreys who are such a good side in the Pro12 and very good away from home, was great. We’ll recover now and prepare for a big game against Glasgow next week.”