{"id":664468,"date":"2026-08-31T01:43:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T01:43:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/664468\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T01:43:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T01:43:18","slug":"theres-no-ill-feeling-former-ulster-star-on-the-paul-oconnell-punch-that-nearly-killed-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/664468\/","title":{"rendered":"‘There’s No Ill Feeling’: Former Ulster Star On The Paul O’Connell Punch That Nearly Killed Him"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Ireland and Ulster second-row Ryan Caldwell has opened up about the infamous punch he took from Paul O’Connell in 2007 that nearly killed him.<\/p>\n

Caldwell was just 22 at the time and was aiming to establish himself in Eddie O’Sullivan’s Ireland Squad ahead of the 2007 World Cup<\/a>.<\/p>\n

O’Connell, meanwhile, was a towering presence in the Ireland second row.<\/p>\n

During a week of training in Limerick where Caldwell was ‘making a nuisance of himself’, O’Connell snapped after being taken to the ground during a non-contact session and threw a punch.<\/p>\n

As O’Connell wrote in his autobiography,<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think I hit him too hard, but my right hand struck the side of his face and he went down, unconscious. What I didn\u2019t know then was that one of his teeth had burst his cheek and he was swallowing a lot of blood.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Caldwell was hospitalised for a number of days. Speaking on the Brendan O’Connor Show on RT\u00c9 Radio One on Sunday, Caldwell revealed that he has very little memory of the incident.<\/p>\n

\n

“I only remember waking up on the ground”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Ulster man recalls attempting to make an impression on the squad during training. He recalls tackling O’Connell while the training remained “grab only”.<\/p>\n

From there, he spoke of O’Connell acting in the heat of the moment and punching the 22-year-old, leaving him unconscious.<\/p>\n

The incident quickly became far more serious than either player envisaged. Caldwell required mouth-to-mouth, while the extent of the injuries was initially unclear.<\/p>\n

\n

“From all accounts it was very, very close to being a complete disaster”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It was an incident that changed both men.<\/p>\n

‘You nearly killed him’<\/p>\n

\n Recommended\n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

In his autobiography The Battle, O’Connell<\/a> had a very similar recollection of what he know refers to as the worst moment in his career.<\/p>\n

The former Ireland captain remembered watching from a distance as team doctor Gary O’Driscoll attempted to resuscitate Caldwell before an ambulance was called.<\/p>\n

O’Connell wrote that he was “shaking” after the incident, and fearing the worst as the ambulance drove away. He asked the team doctor what the story was, to which O’Driscoll replied<\/p>\n

\n

“You nearly killed him”.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Munster man was absolutely devastated by the incident, and described himself as both disgusted and embarrassed about the aftermath.<\/p>\n

Despite the seriousness of the incident, Caldwell insists that there is absolutely no ill-feelings towards the former Ireland captain.<\/p>\n

He believes the former Ireland forward had no intentions of the situation escalating the way it did, and highlighted how the players were unaware of their own physical strength.<\/p>\n

\n

“We were so conditioned back then, serious athletes throwing around massive weights and training at such a high level. We were not aware of how big and strong we were.”\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

O’Connell went on to visit Caldwell in Limerick hospital after the incident, and was visibly upset about what happened. Caldwell recalls the Munster forward “getting emotional” while visiting him in the hospital.<\/p>\n

\n

“I remember him coming up to the Limerick hospital the night after it happened.<\/p>\n

He was chatting to me and he felt that bad that he was getting emotional about it.”<\/p>\n

“I said Paulie, ‘look these things happen’.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Caldwell says the incident didn’t initially hold too much weight in his mind, but looking back, he now believes it had a significant impact on his career.<\/p>\n

\n

“Up until that point, I’d felt fairly invincible.<\/p>\n

Looking back I can see that it was a fairly significant moment for me. It sort of rattled my cage a lot as a player”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"
\nWhat Happened After?<\/p>\n

Caldwell went on to play for Ulster, Bath, Exeter and Chiefs, as well as earning two caps for the Ireland national team.<\/p>\n

However, seven years after the punch Caldwell’s career took a turn. After serious hip injuries and concussions turned him away from Rugby, the 6’7 Ulster man entered the world of drugs. As a result of his lifestyle, he found himself imprisoned in Belfast and even attempted taking his own life.<\/p>\n

Now the Ulster man has turned full circle. He runs his own business called\u00a0Inner Evolution which focuses on breath work and has written an autobiography discussing his struggles titled “White Lines”.<\/p>\n

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