Paul O’Connell and Joe Schmidt discuss the connection between the Ireland team and their fans

Brought to you by Aldi.

"You see what it means to the players."

The 6 Nations is in full swing. Ireland are in as good a position as ever to make a real go of the tournament. They're coming off the back of a 100% winning record in the Autumn Internationals. Couple that with a favourable schedule for this season, an outrageous Johnny Sexton drop goal, and it all bodes well. Although Joe Schmidt’s squad might be missing a few key players through injury, the strength in depth that the coach has managed to build up over his years with the side looks to be paying dividends. Ahead of this year’s campaign, which kicked off with a win on Saturday in Paris (you already know that), Schmidt sat down with his former captain Paul O’Connell to discuss what the tournament means to them. The pair spoke about the importance of the fans and reflected on last year's campaign. When speaking about the narrow 13-9 win over England Schmidt said, "I felt it just went a bit of a level higher." You can check out the video here: Paul and Joe were in town to highlight the work being done by Aldi with their Play Rugby Scheme. The Aldi Play Rugby Programme is a fun, safe non-contact way for kids to get involved in rugby in primary schools. It’s a free initiative developed by the IRFU and supported by Aldi. The key pillar of the programme is healthy eating. The focus is to give children the key ingredients they need to be at their best. Brought to you by Aldi.