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|+<big>'''Paul O'Connell'''</big>
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| '''Date of Birth:''' || [[20 October]], [[1979]]
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| '''Place of Birth:''' || [[Limerick]], [[Munster]], [[Republic of Ireland]]
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| '''Height:''' || 1.99 [[meter|m]]
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| '''Weight:''' || 108 [[kilogram|kg]]
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| '''Position:''' || [[Rugby union positions#4. & 5. Lock|Lock]]
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| '''Country:''' || [[Ireland national rugby union team|Ireland]]
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| '''[[Test match|Test]] [[Cap (sport)|Caps]]:''' || [[Ireland national rugby union team|Ireland]] 33<br/>[[British and Irish Lions]] 3
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| '''Test Points:''' || Ireland 20 (4 tries)<br/>British and Irish Lions 0
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| '''Province:''' || [[Munster Rugby|Munster]]
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'''Paul O'Connell''' (born [[20 October]] [[1979]] in [[Limerick]]) is an [[Republic of Ireland|Irish]] [[rugby union]] player who plays [[Rugby union positions#4. & 5. Lock|lock]] for [[Munster Rugby|Munster]] and [[Ireland national rugby union team|Ireland]].

O'Connell made his debut for [[Ireland national rugby union team|Ireland]] against [[Wales national rugby union team|Wales]] in the [[Rugby Union Six Nations Championship|Six Nations]] [[2002]], scoring a try. He was a part of [[Ireland national rugby union team|Ireland's]] [[2003 Rugby Union World Cup|Rugby World Cup 2003]] squad, and, in the first game of the [[Rugby Union Six Nations Championship|Six Nations]] [[2004]], against [[France national rugby union team|France]], he was stand-in captain for the injured [[Brian O'Driscoll]]. He toured with the [[2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand|2005 British and Irish Lions to New Zealand]], where he was one of only two Lions players to play every minute of all three Test matches. After a period of absence due to injury in the early part of the 2005-06 season, O'Connell returned to the Munster side to play an integral part in his side's march to its first Heineken Cup final since 2002, and also helped Ireland win the Triple Crown. Indeed, such was the quality and stature of O'Connell's play, that, as the season drew to a close, many respected judges were talking of him as the world's finest current lock forward. Paul O'Connell was a star swimmer when he was younger, starting his training with Seal Swimming club under the watchful guidance of Jim Riordan and Jerry Ryan before moving on to the Limerick squad. O'Connell attended Ardscoil Ris in Limerick and played rugby under Des Harty's tutelage, representing Irish Schools in 1997-98. He also represented Young Munster R.F.C. before moving on to represent Munster, Ireland and the Lions.  

==External links==
*[http://www.irishrugby.ie/playerpage/38829.html IRFU profile]
*[http://www.munsterrugby.ie/provincialplayerpage/20056.html Munster profile]
*[http://www.lionstour.com/forwards-34.htm British and Irish Lions profile]
*[http://www.rbs6nations.com/squad_ireland_193980.htm RBS 6 Nations profile] 
*[http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/36_4571.php?player=503 ERC profile]

{{Ireland Squad 2003 World Cup}}
{{British and Irish Lions 2005}}

{{Ireland-bio-stub}}
{{rugbyUnion-stub}}

[[Category:1979 births|O'Connell, Paul]]
[[Category:Living people|O'Connell, Paul]]
[[Category:Irish rugby union footballers|O'Connell, Paul]]
[[Category:Rugby union locks|O'Connell, Paul]]
[[Category:Natives of County Limerick|O'Connell, Paul]]

[[fr:Paul O'Connell]]
[[it:Paul O'Connell]]