Corrigan hails O'Connell ahead of Toulon move

Sport360 staff 07:49 17/06/2015
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  • Leaving Munster: O'Connell.

    Paul O’Connell has “changed beyond belief” in a late-career surge that has earned him his two-year move to Toulon, according to Reggie Corrigan.

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    Ireland captain O’Connell, 35, will join triple European champions Toulon after the autumn’s World Cup, that will prove his Test swansong and joins England prop Matt Stevens and South Africa No 8 Duane Vermeulen as the Top 14 club’s latest high-profile recruits.

    Former Ireland prop Corrigan hailed evergreen lock O’Connell’s “quite amazing” transformation after enduring a host of career-threatening injuries three years ago.

    The 101-cap second row has already played his final game for home town province Munster, and Corrigan believes O’Connell will be an “even more dangerous animal” at the World Cup owing to his impending Test retirement.

    Corrigan said: “I can’t remember seeing him playing so well. I watched him in the South Africa game in the November series, and he came out of the lineout, smashed one of the attackers and changed the attacking impetus of the game in the last play. And I found myself asking myself, ‘where is he getting this energy from?’.

    “And at that point I was thinking there’s plenty left in him yet, so I can fully understand how Toulon might want someone of his experience for a couple of seasons.”

    Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal has amassed a who’s who of world rugby on the Cote d’Azur. Boudjellal claims O’Connell “really wanted to finish his career the way Wilkinson did”, referring to the England great’s Toulon swansong that ended with a French and European double 12 months ago.

    Stevens, 32, joins from Sharks on a two-year deal, while No 8 Vermeulen, 28, has played 29 times for the Springboks and joins from Stormers on a three-year deal.

    The trio join an impressive recruitment that has already seen All Black great Ma’a Nonu, Australia internationals Quade Cooper and James O’Connor, and American wrecking ball Samu Manoa agree to move to the reigning triple European champions.

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