The news that Paul O'Connell would retire from rugby came as a shock to rugby fans on Tuesday morning as he announced that he would call time on his career.
Both Keith Wood and Ireland's Brian O'Driscoll appeared on Newstalk Lunchtime with Jonathan Healy to pay tribute to the former Ireland captain.
O'Driscoll revealed that the news came as a huge shock to him, saying "he was the sort of person, a character that nothing was impossible. Even at 36-years of age with a hamstring tear off the bone, you thought that if anyone was going to be able to come back from that, it was Paul O'Connell".
He added that "he's a huge loss to rugby in general and Irish rugby but this legendary status will go on for many, many years".
Keith Wood revealed that, from the very start O'Connell stood out from the rest of the pack: "He was in a hurry from day one, nothing was perfect, ever. He was quite vocal for a young guy coming into a squad, he was very, very driven and unbelievably demanding. Which was frustrating at the very start; you're having to deal with this guy who's 6'6" and a novice in the game and yet is saying the right points at the right time without having a huge amount of experience".
The former Munster hooker revealed that O'Connell was the standard bearer when he played, and was one of a new breed of players coming through. Those players "were not accepting of anything that had happened in the past but were looking for everything to be just right, just so, just perfect". adding that "he was phenomenal from day one, but open to learning from day one".
O'Driscoll agreed with that assessment, saying that once Paulie made his debut with Ireland against Wales, "he drove that standard to another level all together. What set him apart was his constant need to get better every single year, year on year. Always trying to hone his own skills, his physical attributes, his diet; he was such a stickler for that".
The Leinster star also stated that "he was professionalism personified and I think he brought that through to the very last when we saw him in a green jersey at the World Cup".
Given that O'Connell was a legend for Munster and O'Driscoll faced him a number of times wearing the blue of Leinster, he knows what it was like to play both with and against the retiring legend, and he described him as a tough but fair opponent.
"It was an opportunity to really have a go at a World class player [...] it was always a good contest because you knew he was hard, but he was also fair. He played on the edge, I think he only got sent off once in his career [...] he was a tough tough player but always shook your hand afterwards. He had a really nice demeanour about him, a real humility and not a forced humility or a fake humility, a proper humility and I think you can see that in the outpouring of love for him over the course of the World Cup and again today".
Although O'Connell only announced the news on Tuesday morning, both Wood and O'Driscoll thought there was more to come from Paulie, possibly in coaching, but advised him to take a little bit of time away to have a deserved rest.
Wood stated that "he should enjoy the outpouring of love for him, because he bloody deserves it. Brian mentioned his humility, most people see Paul and see this towering, aggressive figure on a rugby field, but it's when you see him off the field in situations like the Special Olympics, you notice that this guy is properly humble".
When speaking about O'Connell's next move, Wood was in no doubt that he will take the intensity often seen on the field and apply it to his next career.
"I think he has a drive that would drive him to be whatever it is he'd like to be. He did mention earlier on today that he'd have a look at coaching and I think he would be so dedicated to trying to get it right, that we should watch this space".
However, Wood also advised him to take "a little bit of a break, maybe have a look at the sunshine because the rest of his life will take over pretty soon", something which Brian O'Driscoll echoed:
"He probably should take a bit of time off because knowing whatever he does throw himself into, he'll be in 100% and totally committed to it but he's the sort of person that, whatever he puts his hand to he'll be successful. He's a very, very clever guy a good thinker in all situations [...] and certainly coaching seems to be something that's right up his street".
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