Paul O'Connell is set for a return to Irish rugby after discussions with the IRFU over his coaching future.
The legendary player, who retired from playing in February after suffering an injury during the World Cup, has been talked about as a possible coach since the first day he decided to hang up the boots.
O'Connell had signed a deal with Toulon to continue his playing career, but made the decision earlier this year that the rehabilitation from his sever hamstring injury would prove too difficult to come back from.
Speaking this week, IRFU Performance Director said that there had been contact with O'Connell over what the next steps would be as he looks to move from playing into coaching.
"We’ve been chatting with Paul about what his future looks like," said Nucifora. "He’ll make his decision when he’s ready about what exactly he wants to do, but we’ve been in touch with Paul. We were speaking to Paul before he retired about what the future might look like.
"You don’t want to waste a resource like Paul O’Connell, he’s got a lot to offer Irish rugby going forward. We’re just working with Paul to work out the best way of utilising what he brings to our game."
O'Connell did stop by Grenoble earlier this year, which lead to speculation that he may be considering a coaching role in France, while he was also linked with taking a position with Munster before the appointment of Johan 'Rassie' Erasmus as Director of Rugby.
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