Ronan O'Gara: The necessity to speak with your eyes and ears

'I play scenarios through in my head but retain the capacity or strength of character and self-belief to back my judgement in the moment. No matter how good you think you are, if you are not honest or authentic, the boys will see straight through it'

AULD ENEMY? Ireland head coach Andy Farrell enjoying a pre-match laugh with his La Rochelle equivalent Ronan O'Gara ahead of Saturday's Champions Cup game against Ulster at the Aviva Stadium. 

OF all the traditions and tropes that a career in professional sport dismantles, the notion of a considered end-of-year reflection and review ranks high. New players, new relationships, new targets, new opposition. This all moves on quickly.

Friday night La Rochelle entertain Bordeaux-Begles and it isn’t even the last Top 14 game of 2022. A week tomorrow we are in Perpignan. Then it’s Toulouse and Ulster, Northampton, Racing 92 and Lyon before the Six Nations beckons.