O’Gara relishing the chance to reclaim position

RONAN O’GARA returns to the Irish team to play Scotland in Murrayfield on Saturday. The outhalf has been out of action since the 40-14 victory over Samoa during the summer tour, when he suffered a wrist injury.

O’Gara is delighted at getting a chance to stake his claim as first choice outhalf in the last match before the World Cup. “There is a big sense of relief that the injury has cleared up,” he said. “Hopefully, this game will give me some much-needed match sharpness.”

With David Humphreys impressing in his absence, O’Gara knows the pressure is on to perform this weekend, but he isn’t too bothered. “I think I have matured an awful lot in that regard over the past 18 months, there are no nerves going into this game. I am perfectly relaxed. I will probably make one or two mistakes because I have been out for so long, but it will good to get back handling the ball and playing in the team again.”