‘Paul O’Connell scares me’ admits Irish teammate Sean Cronin

The Irish captain would consider this a gigantic compliment.

Sean Cronin has been playing Test rugby with Paul O'Connell for six years yet admits he still gets the occasional fright from his fellow Limerick man. O'Connell is due to win his 100th Test appearance for his country this Saturday but Cronin, well-drilled disciple of Joe Schmidt that he is, was giving little away. He dead-panned, 'Selection has not been made yet so I presume, if he is selected, it will be an absolutely huge achievement.' Cue laughter. Cronin added, 'I'm sure he will be in the squad. It is a phenomenal achievement for a player... I hope he gets picked.' Cue more laughter. Taking on a more reverential tone, the hooker said, 'Whenever Paul is playing, he makes you play better. That's due to the enthusiasm, the physicality and the passion he brings. He instils it in the players around him... It is great to play under him. 'He sets the standard and it is up to you to reach that. He will demand it off you in one way or another.'

Scary Paulie

Cronin agrees that O'Connell possesses similar, obsessive traits to Ireland coach Joe Schmidt and points out that such drive has propelled him to the top of the world game. The 35-year-old has been credited, in the past, for his tear-inducing team talks and Cronin admits he has been affected by his captain's passionate urgings.

'I've nipped to the toilet a couple of times to dry the eyes. Paul scares me more than makes me cry, to be honest with you.'

The Leinster hooker added, 'You see the level he gets to and say "I need to get there too". If 15 or 23 lads get to his level, we are hard to beat... it is the culmination of the 23 lads together that gets the team over the line.' Sounds great. Let us all hope O'Connell now gets the nod from Schmidt at Thursday's team announcement.