England's George Kruis has spoken about the high regard in which he holds Paul O'Connell.
The second row, who has started both of England's Six Nations games so farm, has faced O'Connell on a number of occasions when playing for his club.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Kruis said:
I have a huge amount of respect for Paul. At Saracens we have played Munster quite a few times in the pool stages of the Heineken Cup. It's nice to play a guy three or four times, get an understanding of where he is from.
He is a clear talisman for Irish rugby and internationally he is a huge figure. I try and pride myself on the line-out and he's definitely a leader in that department.
Kruis is not the only member of the England setup who knows the value of the Munster player. Graham Rowntree has worked with O'Connell on Lions tours as both a teammate and a coach.
The former England prop spoke of O'Connell's diligence and his willingness to continue learning about the game.
Ireland are full of warriors. I've worked with them. Don't start me on O'Connell - I've so much time for the bloke. It was a pleasure to work with him.
He's diligent. After training he's asking 'how to do that tackle, show me how you do that'. He's done everything, but he's still pulling players to one side after training.
Paul has always been a pain to play against. For me he's been a constant driving force in the Ireland team. Having worked with him he will drive standards and drive intensity. I've got so much respect for him.
People want to play for him. I'm sick of talking about him. He sounds brilliant this man - I'm getting worried talking about him. I've got so much respect for him.
