On 27 January 2014, O'Connell was named in Ireland's 34-man squad for the opening two fixtures of the 2014 Six Nations Championship. He missed Ireland's opening 28-6 win against Scotland on 2 February 2014 with a chest infection. He returned to captain Ireland against Wales on 8 February 2014. O'Connell started in the 13-10 loss to England on 22 February 2014. He started against Italy on 8 March 2014. O'Connell started the 20-22 win away to France on 15 March 2014, a win that secured the 2014 Championship for Ireland.