Former Ireland rugby international Jerry Flannery is currently easing himself into life as a coach in the Munster setup.

But for the guts of a year, the former front row was a strength and conditioning coach at Arsenal and he spoke to Off The Ball's Adrian Barry about the experience of switching from elite rugby to working in the background at one of European football's grandest footballing institutions.

One of those experiences involved playing a bit of football with Arsenal's legendary manager Arsene Wenger.

"I played a bit of five-a-side with him," said Flannery.

"He's managed to keep the weight off really well. He doesn't seem to put weight on. The five-a-sides obviously for me have been probably at a much lower level here since I've come back [to Munster] because last year I was playing with Robert Pires, Arsene Wenger, Steve Bould, these kind of players."  

Flannery also contrasted the development of rugby players and youngsters in soccer where there is a larger failure rate.

He also revealed how he is settling back into life at Munster in terms of relationships with players, having retired from the province as a player just two years ago, and how much preparation goes into his coaching role which is focused on front rows and scrums.