Yer man in the number 13 jersey had a fairly long goodbye but yer man in the number five jersey, that other iconic figure of Irish rugby in the professional era, clearly began his goodbyes too on Saturday, and no better place than Thomond Park, with Belfast, the World Cup and seemingly Toulon to come. It was memorable and it was emotional.
Munster's remarkable rollercoaster semi-final win over the Ospreys was evidently Paul O'Connell's farewell to his beloved Thomond Park, and it wasn't a bad old exit either. He led the post-match, dressing-room rendition of Stand Up and Fight, which in this case had been until the final bell and even beyond – as yet another dramatic endgame under Nigel Owens' watch ended with the referee referring back to an earlier knock-on by Rhys Webb after Josh Matavesi's apparent match-winning try with the 80 minutes up.
Madcap win
While Thomond Park may have seen epics like this madcap semi-final win before, truly neither the Limerick bear-pit nor Munster will ever see O’Connell’s like again. Never. A true one-off and a natural born leader of men, nowhere more so than in Thomond Park. And here was yet more proof, right up to the very end.
Ironically, and typical of his honesty of effort and of self-appraisal, O’Connell bemoaned his own missed tackle in the build-up to Matavesi’s touchdown. Reprieved and relieved, Munster had crept through, but it should never have come to that.
A few minutes beforehand O’Connell had engineered what should have been the deciding penalty in the Ospreys’ left-hand corner when manoeuvring his body through and over 15 others after a line-out. It was one of innumerable big plays, and like all great players, statistics only tell the half of his contribution, for each of his carries were worth twice as much due to their seismic effect on the game and the crowd. Selfless. The ultimate team man.
In his post-match TV interview O’Connell confirmed that this was probably his last game at Thomond Park. He didn’t need to. It was evident from the rumours in the days beforehand, and had been confirmed by his valedictory wave to both main stands. Most of the 16,158 attendance were still there. Damnit, it should have been full. Then there was the guard of honour by his team-mates. He must have told somebody something.
Galvanising effect Whenever and wherever he has played – be it the red of Munster or of the Lions, or the green of Ireland – he has never given less than everything he had, and it has invariably had a galvanising effect on team-mates and supporters alike.
Now it took a South African who will qualify for Ireland after the World Cup – when O’Connell will either retire or move to Toulon – to sum up the man’s impact.
“When I was younger I watched him on TV and never thought I’d get to play with him,” revealed CJ Stander in that engagingly revealing way of his. “To play beside him for the last three years was unbelievable – especially to play his last game here with him.
“I got emotional before the match just looking at him. Just to play with him. He’s a legend in my eyes and everyone else’s eyes. He’s the type of guy you’d follow on the pitch or even after rugby. He’s the type of guy you go to. A real leader, a real man’s man. A man’s leader.”
Stander had no compunction about calling O’Connell a legend. “I’ve looked up to him and I’ll always look up to him. He gave his best to the red jersey and I’m just thankful I got to play with him. That’s one of the highest points of my career.”
Asked what it was that set O’Connell apart, Stander said: “Just everything. Just the way he plays, the words he uses. He leads from the front.
Emotional “I remember when I first arrived I didn’t play much in that first year. He just kept on saying every Monday when the team came out, he just kept telling me to keep the faith. I owe him everything. I stayed here and I get emotional even talking about him. He’s just a legend.”
According to Stander, O’Connell had kept it short, sweet and effective beforehand. “He just said ‘play for the now. Enjoy what we have. Just play the game we can play. For each other, for families, and for the red jersey.’
“He didn’t have to speak. You could just see it in his eyes. We knew what to do and we knew it was going to be a great game. He told us to ‘enjoy the now’, and we did.”
Like everyone else, Stander only had O’Connell’s post-match TV comments to go on. “Yeah, it’s his last time in Thomond Park. He gave his all to the red jersey. To the Irish jersey. To Thomond Park. To play alongside a guy like that. An icon. He gave it his all and I’m looking forward to staying friends with him and staying in touch. He’s a leader of men and it’s been an awesome journey to play with him in the red jersey.”
Not for the first time, though sadly the last, it’s hard to believe that Munster would have escaped, Houdini-like, from another Thomond thriller, without O’Connell in their ranks. He’s going to leave some void.
Next up, the Belfast farewell.
