A very solid and technically sound scrummager, Paul made his debut for Wales in 2003 and most recently appeared for them during their 2012 Grand Slam, winning the RBS 6 Nations campaign.

The athletic loosehead prop, who can also play on the tighthead side of the scrum, has made 177 appearances to date for the Ospreys, a record for the region, and has scored seven tries. He also captained the side who beat Australia in 2006.

Speaking about the move, Paul said “I’ve been with the Ospreys since 2003 and feel that I need a new challenge to keep developing my career. Bath is a very ambitious Club and I’m excited by the prospect of being a part of that. The Aviva Premiership is one of the toughest leagues and I can’t wait to get started.”

Bath Rugby Chief Executive, Nick Blofeld, added “Paul is a very experienced prop with a lot to offer us, both in the scrum and around the field. He has a great attitude and is a tough customer who will add considerably to our team. We are very much looking forward to him joining us”.

O’Connell made a try scoring international debut against Wales in Dublin in 2002, having made his first senior appearance for Munster against Edinburgh in August of the previous year.  Since then he has gone on to win 82 caps for his country and represent Munster on 127 occasions.

His Munster career has seen him win two Heineken Cups, one as captain, as well as two Magners league titles and a Celtic Cup.  His senior international career has seen him selected for three Rugby World Cup squads in 2003, 2007 and 2011 and was part of the sides that won five triple crowns, one RBS Six Nations Championship and Ireland’s second ever Grand Slam in 2009.

He has also represented the British & Irish Lions on two tours, to New Zealand in 2006 and as Captain to South Africa in 2011.

Commenting on the announcement, IRFU Chief Executive Philip Browne said: “The retention and development of Irish players is one of the top priorities for Irish Rugby to ensure continually competitive teams at provincial and international level.  Paul O’Connell is a prime example of this and I am delighted that he has further committed himself to Munster Rugby and the IRFU.  He has done so much to contribute to the success of the Munster and Ireland teams during his career and is a shining example for younger players.”

Ireland Coach Declan Kidney said: "It is a very strong message when you have a player of Paul’s standing opting to continue playing in Ireland with Munster.  Paul has been a very important player and leader for both Ireland and Munster during his career and I am especially pleased that he has come back so strongly after his injury troubles.”

Munster Coach Tony McGahan said: "I’m of course delighted that Paul has agreed an extension to his contract that sees him remain with Munster for the next two seasons. He’s an integral part of the squad whose influence goes way beyond his on-field performances. He is a leader both on and off the field, a quality recognised by his recent appointment as Irish captain and the perfect role model for those who aspire to play professional rugby."

Paul O’Connell said: "I have been lucky over the last ten years to play with a team like Munster which has such phenomenal support and I have enjoyed a lot of success during that time.  So much has changed since my first games for Munster and Ireland, with Heineken cup and Grand Slam wins, brand new stadiums and having the opportunity to play with so many good players, that it was always a very easy decision to remain in my home province.  I am feeling really good both mentally and physically, which in part goes down to how well we are looked after here in Ireland, so I am looking forward to the remainder of this season and beyond and doing all I can to help make Munster and Ireland as successful as possible.”

Career Details
Paul O’Connell
Born: 20th October 1979
Ireland Career
Debut: V Wales 3/02/2002
Caps: 82
Points: 30
Munster Career
Debut: V Edinburgh 17/08/2001
Caps: 127
Points: 80
British & Irish Lions
Debut: V Bay of Plenty 4/06/2005
Appearances: 11 (3 tests V NZ in 2005, 3 Test V South Africa in 2009 as captain)

Burrows made the move up the M1 this summer to join Leeds Carnegie and endured a baptism of fire when he was part of the Leeds team who were well beaten on his return to Clifton Lane in the second week of the season. However, after a tough start to the campaign, Diccon Edwards side have turned things around and go into Friday’s game on the back of six consecutive league wins.

The back row says that the form book will go out of the window on Friday night, he revealed, “It will be another tough challenge, we owe them a performance after what happened at Clifton Lane but we have put six good wins together and we will be aiming to do that again on Friday,” added Burrows.

The Yorkshire derby between Leeds and Rotherham has always been one of the toughest games of the year and Friday’s clash should be no different and Burrows is expecting his old boss, Titans coach Andre Bester to have his players fired up for kick off. He added, “The rivalry will be there no doubt. Andre will get into them this week because form goes out the window. When derbies come along, it is who wants it most on the day. The boys at Leeds have pulled together really well and we have a great atmosphere. I haven’t spoken to the Rotherham boys this week but I was in touch with them over the past few weeks and they are playing really well, even better than when we played them earlier in the season. Both teams are in good form and both will be looking forward to it. One of us has to lose our winning record and we will be doing our best to make sure it is not us.”

Burrows enforced absence through injury has seen England U20 star Jacob Rowan awarded the number eight shirt and the captain’s armband. However, Burrows who started the season at eight, says he is happy to play at six and will do whatever he can to help the team keep up their winning ways.

He added, “I started the season at eight and have played most of my rugby in recent years there but I have also played at six in the Championship so it is not a problem. I am just pleased to be playing and I will put any number shirt on if it means that I am playing and contributing to the side. We have got great competition in the back row especially now with Danny Paul back fit as well. That strength in depth is getting back now because we have lacked that recently with Sean Hohneck and Jon Pendlebury being out. All three of those guys give us a lot of experience and it will be great to have them all back in action over the next few weeks,” added Burrows.

Paul glad to be back for Leeds Carnegie

Nuneaton was the unlikely venue for Danny Paul to make his long awaited come back last weekend as he got a run out for Otley in the Midlands whilst his team mates were battling hard to beat Esher in the Championship.
Paul has been out since the end of last season when he had a serious operation to cure a problem with a hip injury. He then faced a further set back two months ago when he suffered an Achilles injury just as he was stepping up his efforts for a first team return. However, the number eight is now fully fit and ready to go.

Looking back on his game for Otley last week, he said, "I think I left my lungs on the field somewhere! It was good to be finally back out there and I came through unscathed. I was excited before the game and just wanted to get out there. I had a set back with an Achilles problem after getting over the hip injury so I have been chomping at the bit for a few weeks. I came on and the captain asked me to take a pick up at the scrum and he then told me the same at the next four scrums by the end of it I got up and I was struggling for breath. We were getting some joy with that tactic but it certainly got me back into the swing of things."

Paul is now hoping to be involved on Friday night when Leeds Carnegie take on Rotherham at Headingley Carnegie in a massive Yorkshire derby game. He revealed, "Fingers crossed I will be involved on Friday against Rotherham off the bench. I have been out for such a long time and the boys are playing so well that there is a lot for me to prove in the next few weeks. We have got a massive run of games coming up this month with two big Yorkshire derbies plus Pirates coming to Headingley Carnegie. We only just won last week so nothing is a given regardless of the run we are on.

"Rotherham are renowned for being aggressive and in your face, our forwards need to man up and take them on up front. We need to get our set piece going so we can execute our game plan and hopefully that will get us the win we want," added Paul.

Larkin, 54, had spent 25 years with Northampton Saints as a player and then a coach before leaving the club in 2007. Whilst at the Saints, Larkin worked with the Sevens team before being appointed coach by Ian McGeechan in 1994. He also worked under John Steele, Wayne Smith and Paul Grayson and during his time at Northampton the club won the Heineken Cup in 2000 as well as coming runner up in the same competition in 2007 and runner up in the Premiership in 1999.

After his departure, Larkin returned to his Devon roots and signed with Exeter Chiefs taking up the role of coach with the task of implementing a performance analysis framework as well as coaching skill and attack to the backs. The Chiefs came second to Northampton Saints in National Division One and the EDF National Trophy in 2008 and then runner up to Leeds in National Division One the following season.

Speaking about the appointment, Blues Director of Rugby Mike Rayer said: “I’m delighted to be able to welcome a coach of Paul’s calibre to the club and we are all looking forward to working with him throughout the season.

“Paul is very well known to us, particularly Martin Hynes and Matt Volland, and I believe that he will be a valuable addition to the coaching staff. He has been involved with top flight rugby as a player and a coach for 30 years and I think that we are all excited to have a new voice joining the team and offering plenty of advice and opinions.”

Paul added: “I would like to thank Mike for the opportunity to join Bedford, a club with a rich history that I am very well aware of, and I look forward to working with all of the players and coaches to help the Blues progress in the Championship this season. We’ve got plenty of work to do and I can’t wait to get started.”

Paul joined the club on Monday 26 September as the Blues prepare to take on Bristol in the Championship at Goldington Road on Saturday 1 October, kick-off 3pm

Paul, 24, has undergone an operation on a hip injury in the close season but is hopeful of being fit for the start of the new campaign under the leadership of his former Academy boss Diccon Edwards.

Commenting on the first day of pre-season the Kippax-born forward said, “There is a great atmosphere within the squad. It is a young group this season and there are a few of us with a point to prove. For a few years now people have said that we are the up and coming stars but now it is time for us to start producing the goods on a consistent basis.

“I had my operation at the start of May and things are going well so far. I am still on the crutches so that I am not putting too much weight on my hip but hopefully I can be back for the start of the season. It is going to be a long, tough campaign for us in the Championship but everyone is looking forward to it.

“Despite relegation last season, the belief within the squad is really high. I am looking forward to working with Diccon Edwards again. He is someone who is very passionate and enthusiastic about the club and that will be important,” added Paul.

Edwards first decision after becoming the Head Coach was to appoint former England hooker Andy Titterrell as captain and Paul is in complete agreement with his new boss’ choice. He added, “Once Andy agreed to stay at the club there was only one choice for who should be captain. He is an inspirational figure both on and off the field. Two seasons ago he only played the second half of the season but he turned our campaign around and things might have been different last year had he not suffered his season ending injury. There are a few old heads in the team plus some exciting young players and I think we have got the mix right.”

O’Donohoe is the latest member of Ireland’s famous 2007 U20 grand slam winning team to join the province, and will join up with Andrew Browne, TJ Anderson, Eoghan Grace and Niall O’Connor in the green of Connacht next season. The 5’10’’, 89kg scrum-half has made 16 appearances to date for Leinster including two run outs in the Heineken cup against Glasgow and the Scarlets. He also started for Leinster in Connacht’s New Year’s Day defeat in the RDS this season. The former Belvedere College man has captained Leinster ‘A’ this season and has played 19 times for ‘A’s including eight times in the British and Irish Cup.

Speaking on the new deal, the Dubliner said:

"I am delighted to be signing for Connacht next season. I have worked under Eric and Dan in my Ireland U20 days so I have first hand experience of how passionate they are about the club and also how ambitious they are so I am very excited by this challenge.
I will obviously miss the lads and the back room staff at Leinster as I have been here since my academy days, however Connacht is a new chapter in my rugby career that I am very excited about"

Head Coach Eric Elwood:

“We’re delighted Paul is joining us, I’ve known Paul since he starred for the Ireland U20’s in ’07 and I believe he’s a top class player and very capable of the standard required in the Magners League and European competitions. He’s a young dynamic scrumhalf and will fit very nicely into our setup here.”

The starting XV will be announced by the Wolfhounds Coaches at a press conference in Belfast on Wednesday.

Prop Tony Buckley is ruled out after picking up an injury in the game against Scotland ‘A’ last week.

Declan Fitzpatrick is named in the squad in place of Buckley. Mike McCarthy is also named in the squad while Paul Marshall, Ian Keatley and David Kearney have also been called up.

Tickets for the game against the Saxons are on sale from www.ulsterrugby.com

O2 Ireland Wolfhounds Squad (v England Saxons, Friday, Februray 4^th, Ravenhill, 19:30)

Backs (10) -

Isaac Boss (Terenure College – Leinster)
Fionn Carr (Galwegians- Connacht)
Ian Humphreys (Ballymena – Ulster)
David Kearney (Lansdowne – Leinster)
Ian Keatley (Galwegians- Connacht)
Denis Hurley (Cork Constitution – Munster)
Paul Marshall (Belfast Harlequins – Ulster)
Johne Murphy (Young Munster – Munster)
Eoin O’Malley (Old Belvedere – Leinster)
Nevin Spence (Ballynahinch – Ulster)

Forwards (12) -

Nigel Brady (Dungannon – Ulster)
Willie Faloon (Ballynahinch – Ulster)
Declan Fitzpatrick (Dungannon – Ulster)
Jamie Hagan (Corinthians – Connacht)
Chris Henry (Ballymena – Ulster)
Mike McCarthy (Buccaneers – Connacht)
Ian Nagle (Cork Constitution – Munster)
Mick O’Driscoll (Cork Constitution – Munster)
Dominic Ryan (Lansdowne – Leinster)
Donnacha Ryan (Shannon – Munster)
Damien Varley (Garryowen – Munster)
Brett Wilkinson (Galwegians – Connacht)

The 25-year-old prop joins the Saints from Gloucester, where he has played for the last two seasons.

Comfortable on either side of the scrum, Doran-Jones was capped by England in the 2009 Autumn Internationals and is in the England Elite Playing Squad currently preparing for the Six Nations. A member of England’s touring party last summer, Doran-Jones has also played non-cap games against the Barbarians, Australia ‘A’ and the New Zealand Maori.

Educated at Wellington College, Doran-Jones joined Gloucester from London Welsh, with his previous clubs also including Lansdowne RFC, for whom he played while studying at University College, Dublin, and Leinster, where he spent four seasons between 2003 and 2007.

Doran-Jones’s representative career includes caps for England Under-18 and Ireland Under-19 and Under-21, and in addition to his Aviva Premiership Rugby experience in the Cherry and White he has played in the Heineken Cup and in all of Gloucester’s Amlin Challenge Cup pool matches this season.

He is excited by the prospect of joining the Saints.

“I played against the Saints in my first game for London Welsh and it’s always been tough playing against them,” he said. “They’ve got a history of having a strong pack and it will be great to be a part of the squad at Franklin’s Gardens.

“I’m looking forward to getting in and training with the boys. I’ve been with a few of them with England and the banter’s starting already. The likes of Dylan and Courtney and the other guys like Tonga’uiha and Mujati have done really well this season and I want to be a part of that.

“Gloucester has been a great club for me. It’s tough to leave the place where I had my chance. The clubs are similar with great followings and histories and Kingsholm will always be a special place for me.

“But I’m looking forward to the challenge of moving to Franklin’s Gardens and challenging for my place at the Saints. They are showing where they can be in the current Heineken Cup and I want to be competing at that level week in, week out in the future and improve myself as a player.”

Director of rugby Jim Mallinder said that Doran-Jones will be a good addition to the Saints squad.

“Paul is a quality prop who has the added benefit of playing on either side of the scrum,” he said. “As we prepare for a tough Aviva Premiership and European campaign we need players who are flexible enough to play in a variety of positions, and to have props like Paul, Tom Mercey and Brian Mujati who can play at tight and loose-head will only be good for the Saints squad.

“Having quality players in these positions will mean that competition will remain fierce and will also continue to push our standards higher and higher, which we need if we want to stay competing at the top end of the Premiership and in the later stages of Europe.”

A statement from the Dragons says “As previously announced, the region’s LV= Cup games against Sale Sharks this weekend and next weekend’s game against the Scarlets will be led by the assistant coaching team as part of the region’s ongoing policy of coach development.”

The Dragons also said: there will be no further comment on this issue until disciplinary proceedings have been completed.

The action follows a spat with Walesonline reporter Andy Howell, who had questions Turner’s future at the region following a dreadful HEC campaign in which the Dragons failed to chalk up a single win.

Turner’s recent behaviour has been seen as erratic in some quarters – particularly amongst fans. His claims that Dan Lydiate had been injured by Wales following an assessment had been met with incredulity, and prompted the WRU to issue a statement repudiating Turner’s claims.  

Following his award of Magners Coach of the Year last season, all seemed rosy in the garden, but bad results and a poor media image have turned things for the worse.

Blues starting line-up:

15. Edd Thrower
14. Handre Schmidt
13. Brendan Burke
12. Tom Bedford
11. Josh Bassett
10. Jake Sharp
9. Will Chudley

1. Laurence Ovens
2. Dan Richmond (c)
3. Phil Boulton
4. Sean Tomes
5. Alex Rae
6. Ben Lewitt
7. Will Fraser
8. Paul Tupai

Replacements: 16. Joe Clark, 17. Sam Walsh, 18. Gregor Gillanders, 19. Chris Goodman, 20. Nick Walshe, 21. Myles Dorrian, 22. Ollie Dodge.

Swansea starting line-up

15 James Garland
14 Nicky Thomas
13 Chris Shelmerdine
12 David Watts
11 Nicky Harwood
10 James Dixon
9 Rhodri Wells

1 Lee May
2 Paul John
3 Andrew Clatworthy
4 Ben Fox
5 Sam Kiley
6 James Bija
7 Sam Lewis
8 Steffan Jones

Replacements: 16 Alun Rees, 17 Roy Jones, 18 Paul Arnold, 19 Tom Morgan, 20 Phillip Tucker, 21 Luke Hathaway, 22 Lloyd Thomas