Brian O'Driscoll has spoken to Off The Ball about Paul O'Connell and what he will bring to the Ireland setup under Andy Farrell.

O'Driscoll joined us ahead of Wales v Ireland, the opening game for Farrell's men in the 2021 Six Nations, and believes O'Connell's dedication sets him apart.

Paul O'Connell

"He is the sort of person you love to have around your environment," O'Driscoll said.

"Even with the Lions, when he was injured for that first test in 2013, having him around with that wealth of knowledge and that enthusiasm.

"When he got injured at the World Cup, in what would ultimately be his final game, there were reports of how upbeat he was even though he knew his tournament was over.

"That is the kind of character you're dealing with, the sort of person he is. Add on top of that a guy who is eloquent in getting his message across, has an incredible rugby IQ."

Enthusiasm

O'Driscoll believes that O'Connell will infuse Ireland's coaching ticket with positivity in a couple of key areas.

"He has an enthusiasm for lineout but also you will see him really focusing on the ruck - something that has definitely regressed in the last year since Joe Schmidt has departed and an area we need to get back to focusing on.

"It was an area of real enthusiasm that Paulie showed in the past. I remember when I retired and was doing the World Cup for ITV. I was talking about with Joe Schmidt, Ireland were doing something no-one else was doing with this 'left barrel, right barrel'.

"Paulie rang me up and said 'Listen, is there any chance you'll stop talking about that because I think we've got the edge on everybody else.'

"He is so into it, he just loves the idea of being a forward-thinker, being someone who is setting the tone rather than following suit. I think that with him coming in, he is a brilliant signing because the players will want to really get their game right for him."

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