Ronan wants perfect 10
And it was when I suggested it was the friendship between the pair that makes the situation even more of a problem his face turned cold.
“I don’t think that’s an issue”, he began. “Professional rugby is a ruthless business. All of us would like to start a game.
"I just focus on what I can control and that’s basically in getting my game to a level where I’m happy and where it should be. So long as you play to the best of your ability in the opportunities you are given, you can live with yourself.
“After that, it’s taken out of your hands. But, all credit to the management, they have been very fair and honest with me. I’ve been told that I was close all along, to keep doing what I was doing, and I did that. I’d like to think the backs fired a lot better against Australia and that’s an area I was probably called in for.”
And, think of it, nobody reaches the level of playing at out-half for his country in a World Cup quarter-final without possessing a lot of inner strength and a strong moral fibre, even if first appearance suggests otherwise.
O’Gara has proved this point time and time again in desperate situations with Munster and Ireland and probably never more than when he was pitched into the fray with a half hour or so to go against Argentina in the crucial pool game.
“My experience of pressure situations for Munster, Ireland and the Lions was of benefit to me there”, he accepted. “I’m probably in the middle of my career in terms of experience. I wouldn’t be a young fella any more.
"Okay, I wouldn’t be a senior pro but I’d be nearer to a senior pro than a young rookie so I was completely taken aback by how numb the lads were in the game. It was a horror story that was unfolding so when I came on, I tried to inject some life into them.
“Some of our players had become like zombies because of the pressure of the occasion so I just tried to gee them up a bit. In fairness, in the last half hour, they really responded. I think the body language improved and that’s just as important as playing patterns, to make sure the opposition can see you are united.”
Some players mightn’t want to become involved in such a desperate, nerve-wracking and absolutely crucial game. Not Ronan O’Gara who maintains was “dying” to get out there.
“In hindsight, it was probably the most tense stage that I ever came into a match but at the time you can’t think of things like that, you’ve just got to focus on what you need to do.
"I was itching to get in. I could see myself making a difference and that’s not being cocky. New life needed to be injected into the situation and I’m happy with the impact I made.”
The improvement in Ireland’s fortunes engineered by O’Gara’s arrival duly led to his selection from the start against Australia. Another mammoth occasion in a fantastic stadium and, of course, one demanding enormous mental as well as physical fortitude.
“I suppose we were through to the quarter-finals and there was a weight off everybody’s shoulders”, he reasoned. “We just identified that we had to have a go and at least challenge the Aussies, attack them, bring the ball to the line.
"From my point of view, part of my job was to get Brian (O’Driscoll) into space, and get the ball wide and threaten them from all over the pitch. It was an opportunity to play it as we saw it and I think that suited my game.”
But it wasn’t all plain sailing for Ronan. With 15 minutes remaining, the reverse of the previous week happened - he was called ashore and David Humphreys was back at number ten! How frustrating was that?
“Hugely so”, he admits. “You know, I was in the zone and then the ref tells me I’m coming off. I wasn’t even looking at the sideline. There have been times in the past when I have looked over to see if he was warming up.
"This time, I was fully concentrated on the job. That’s the call of the management but I have to admit from a personal point of view that I was disappointed and later when I assessed the video, I was happy with my performance.”
O’Gara goes head to head tomorrow with the French prodigy Frederic Michalak for the second time in six months.
Michalak certainly made a difference to Toulouse when he switched from number nine to ten in last May’s Heineken Cup semi-final against Munster. He is the tournament’s runaway top scorer with 78 points from three outings and is clearly a potential match winner for Les Bleus.
“The big thing for him that day was that he was able to spread the ball where he wanted because he had a rampaging pack in front of him”, O’Gara claimed.
“He’s obviously a very talented player. You’d expect no less from a French No 10. You look through the competition and all the top teams are going to have top-class out-halves so it doesn’t really matter who you are playing.”
Looking at the World Cup overall, O’Gara is clearly pleased with the way it has progressed for him personally although he did concede: “The day I missed out on selection against Argentina was one of the lowest points I have experienced.
"I had really focused on that game, to be part of it ever since the World Cup began. I focused on the positives and I suppose the best outcome of that was for me to get on the pitch for half an hour.
"As it transpired, I had a big impact on that game. Obviously, the Australian game went okay, but I thought our performance was up a few notches on the previous weeks of the tour.”
There is no place for sulkers on a major rugby tour. If you’re not picked for the big match, you don’t pull a sorrowful face and let your disappointment show. Otherwise, team spirit disintegrates.
“I have had plenty of disappointments and plenty of positives throughout my career”, O’Gara points out. “I tend not to dwell on either of them for very long. You’ve just got to make sure you are fully prepared and focused.
"It’s not easy when you don’t get the initial nod but you just reassess the situation and make sure you can make an impression when called upon. That’s the way it worked out. Mentally it is challenging but you have to be aware of your responsibilities.”
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