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08th Feb 2018

Paul O’Connell and Joe Schmidt recall their earliest rugby memories

JOE

Brought to you by Aldi.

“It’s about enjoying yourself.”

Ireland kicked off their 6 Nations campaign last weekend in fairly thrilling circumstances, to say the least. Johnny Sexton’s 83rd-minute drop goal was just about enough to seal a victory in France. Setting us up nicely for the rest of the tournament. Next up we’ve got Italy in the Aviva Stadium this Saturday.

Ahead of that game, Joe Schmidt sat down with the man who captained his Ireland team to back to back 6 Nations titles in 2014 and 2015, Paul O’Connell. The pair spoke about what rugby means to them along with some of their earliest memories of the sport.

Between them, they have a level of experience that few in the game can rival. So when men of such calibre talk, you’d do well to listen. O’Connell emphasised the importance of having fun when playing. From youth rugby right up to the professional level.

“If you’re talking about 30-year-olds, a big part of enjoying rugby is having fun, well it 100% applies to seven, eight and nine-year-olds.”

You can watch the whole video below:

Paul and Joe were in town to talk about the work being done by Aldi and the IRFU with the Play Rugby Scheme.

The Aldi Play Rugby Programme is a fun, safe non-contact way for kids to get involved in rugby in primary schools. It’s a free initiative developed by the IRFU and supported by Aldi.

The key pillar of the programme is healthy eating. The focus is to give children the key ingredients they need to be at their best.

Brought to you by Aldi.