KIERAN SHANNON: School of hard knocks the making of ROG

In his own words Ronan O’Gara was “shocked” when Declan Kidney omitted him from the Irish squad.

“Rattled.” And seriously aggrieved.

“There’s politics in that decision” his father told him upon the news and O’Gara thought much the same. After all the rugby he’d played for Kidney and just coming off his best performance in months, to then be passed over for two young out-halves hardly anyone had ever heard of? Only their names weren’t Paddy Jackson and Ian Madigan.