Former Ireland rugby international Paul O'Connell has come out to say that any player who wants to represent their country at the top level, should not consider playing club rugby abroad.
Speaking at an awards ceremony yesterday, O'Connell, who will soon be transferring to Toulon, praised the services provided by the IRFU and said that they give Irish players the best possible chance of maximising their ability at home.
"I don't think any player who still wants to play rugby for Ireland or wants to play well has any business playing in France or playing abroad. You get very well looked after when you play here with the provinces," the Toulon-bound second row stated.
"I'm hoping to go in December" - Paul O'Connell on logistics of Toulon move: https://t.co/M3bO9PLMZJ pic.twitter.com/Vn5V66qsZu
— Newstalk Sport (@NewstalkSport) November 2, 2015
O'Connell's comments come as Johnny Sexton returns to line out for Leinster after spending some time at the French club Racing Metro. Meanwhile, Connacht's Robbie Henshaw continues to attract interest from foreign clubsand has previously stated his interest to play in France at some point.
Good times @connachtrugby fans, you're flying in @PRO12rugby and @henshawrob is back playing for the Province too! pic.twitter.com/uV9TBwsDNo
— Inpho Photography (@Inphosports) November 6, 2015
However, retired Irish international O'Connell - who exited the World Cup early after being injured against France - does not support players moving abroad and feels they need to focus on their recovery where possible.
"When we play the Six Nations it's a format of two games on, one weekend off, one game on, one weekend off, and then two games on. The last two seasons, those two weekends off were a good opportunity to recover and rest not just physically but also mentally, " he said.
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