We may be about to see the start of a successful coaching career for Paul O’Connell

Could this be the beginning of a successful coaching career for the Munster and Irish legend?

We all know how good a player Paul O'Connell was during his playing days. The towering Limerick man has had a stellar career littered with great achievements. Grand Slams, Six Nations Championships, Triple Crowns, Heineken Cups, Lions tours - the man has pretty much done it all. But what is often the case in top level sport, an excellent playing career doesn't always equate to a guaranteed successful coaching career. O'Connell has stated on numerous occasions since his retirement that he wants to keep his options open in terms of what his next career move will be. However we got our first indication that coaching is firmly on the radar when the 37-year-old took up a part-time advisory role with this Munster Rugby academy back in August. This role seemed to initially consist of running workshops to academy players in relation to goal-setting and lifestyle planning. He also advised the young players in areas where he excelled at during his career such as breakdown work, lineout jumping, rucking and mauling. Elite Player Development Officer, Greig Oliver, mentioned to munsterrugby.ie in October that the mere presence of O'Connell results in a step-up in intensity from the academy players:

"We've also had Paul O'Connell out on the field in the last few weeks and it's noticeable how the intensity steps up when he is there. Paul has been excellent working with both players and coaches on and off the field and is approachable, yet also intense when he needs to be, and that's a nice balance to have."

Now it seems O'Connell is taking the next step as he will be the assistant coach for the Munster U20 Development side alongside Oliver as they take on an Ireland U20 selection in Thomond Park at the end of the month. It's great to see O'Connell take the next step as a coach and we hope it is the beginning of a long and successful career.