Lion’s roar as O’Gara back in the hunt

RONAN O’GARA had just the kind of day he must have hoped for. With the imminent Lions tour in mind, he was understandably desperate to prove his fitness after a six week lay-off.

A positive start in which he showed off his wide range of skills obviously helped considerably and he went on to demonstrate that he is very much in the mix when it comes to challenging the more favoured Jonny Wilkinson and Stephen Jones for the key number ten jersey in the Lions Test matches.

“I was really looking forward to this game because I had worked so hard in rehab and really wanted to be there”, he commented.

“I hadn’t played a big game with the lads since the Castres game in January. Today was all about trying to reward Alan [Gaffney] for all he has done for us and personally I’m also happy with the way it went. It’s important now that I keep the head down and do all the right things. I thought it could have been a six month injury and that’s why I’m delighted to be back. I didn’t know if I was going for major reconstruction or what.

“It wasn’t just a case of resting the knee, I had to build it all up again and my whole bottom half now feels a lot more stable and I’m a lot more confident when running. It’s great to be part of this team. It’s something special and something that’s under-appreciated by people outside of the squad. I couldn’t wait to get back because while I was out I could see we were stringing more and more phases together. When you get a chance like this, you have to take it. The hunger was there and I felt really refreshed so perhaps in a way the time away may have helped. It’s going to be a hell of a scrap for a Test place but if you don’t make the side, it doesn’t mean your tour has been a failure. There are four quality out-halves and only one is going to start the tests. It’s difficult but it can be achieved.”

Wilkinson remains most people’s idea of the main contender for the ten jersey. O’Gara doesn’t argue the point, admitting that he wasn’t surprised the golden boy of English rugby got the call once he had proved his fitness.

In fact, he relishes the fact that the best people are going to be there and of Wilkinson he concedes: “What he achieved in the World Cup was outstanding. If you want to be the Test out-half, you’ve got to get rid of Jonny. Stephen Jones had a very good Six Nations but as long as you’re on the tour, you have a chance. That’s all that matters to me. There can be no excuses this time, there are no injuries and the best players are all available.”