Despite being Ireland’s inspirational captain for a number of years, Paul O'Connell did occasionally hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
#1. MMA Six Nations
The Irish second-row unleashes the beast within & unloads the ground and pound on Wales' Robert Sidoli.
#2. Jamie Cudmore
The fight broke out during a Heineken Cup game between Munster and Cudmore's Clermont-Auvergne. The Canadian threw the first punch before both men went full tilt.
#3. Swinging arm on Jonathan Thomas
Back in 2010, the experienced second rower had his back to Thomas and while he pleaded his innocence to referee Christophe Berdos, he unfortunately did catch the Ospreys forward quite badly in the face, causing him to slump to his knees.
#4. Training ground bust-up
O’Connell lost his nerve with the Ulster second-row Ryan Caldwell in the build-up to the Rugby World Cup. The Munster legend threw a punch and he went down, unconscious with a tooth bursting his cheek. Caldwell swallowed a lot of blood and an ambulance had to rush him to the hospital. The team doctor later told O’Connell: “The story is, you nearly killed him.”
The Ireland legend, who would often involved in training ground scraps, would never be involved in another after he learned from this incident that a single punch could hurt someone badly.
