Grateful O’Gara counts his blessings

RONAN O’GARA counts his blessings every day, not least because he has stayed fairly injury-free in eight years playing professional rugby.

Ireland’s record point holder also leads the field in the Heineken Cup, and by some distance, his 731 points is testimony to his endurance as much as his accuracy.

He has just recovered from a gruelling few weeks when his ability to play in Sunday’s Heineken Cup semi-final against Leinster was in question. He overcame a hamstring strain to play against Perpignan but then sustained a nasty knee injury and has been sidelined since.

But he’s back, ready and willing to help Munster move to a third Heineken Cup final, as he acknowledged his good fortune compared to the likes of Christian Cullen, for instance. “Everyone gets minor injuries, some get major injuries and Christian is an example,” said O’Gara.

“I have very strong views on the criticism that Christian has had to put up with from certain sectors. I’ve got to know him very well since he arrived in Ireland; people are very quick to comment when things aren’t going well, but he’s the one fellow who will come out on a Sunday morning and come kicking with me. He might have been in the gym for an hour before that, and you don’t have to wonder why he was one of the world’s best players.

“I have only played a handful of games with him, but he’s a quality player, and I can’t wait when he finally recovers from injury and proves people wrong. I hope he stays on in Ireland; there are very few guys of his quality available, but I back him 100% that he will become a major influence on Munster rugby if he is given the opportunity, and an injury-free run. Who knows what he has in store this season; he could surprise some people yet, and it would be terrible if he doesn’t have an input because I know how much it hurts him.”

O’Gara has had his share of bad luck as well, albeit on the pitch rather than off it. Yet, apart from a couple of Heineken Cup finals, he wouldn’t want to change much.

“The good days far outweighed the bad days, and that gives you the motivation to keep striving for the best day,” he said.

“Looking back, the Northampton loss was the most galling; that was the one in which we really underperformed. Emotionally, we were drained because the whole occasion got the better of us. Against Leicester, while we could have played a bit better, we were beaten by a better side on the day, despite all the controversy surrounding the last few minutes. You have no real problem in being beaten in those circumstances; although it’s not easy, it’s never easy to lose.”

In six years, life has totally changed for O’Gara. He has gone from pupil to teacher.

“When I look back to 2000 when I first got into the national side, I was looking to sponge information from other people. I was the young kid on the block; the years have flown by and now the roles have changed. They have been seven fruitful years in general, for Munster and for Ireland and I savour that because you never know what’s around the corner with injuries.”

If Leinster’s forwards feel aggrieved that they don’t get the recognition they feel they deserve, O’Gara draws a parallel with the Munster backs.

“All the talk is about the Munster pack and the Leinster back line, but you have to put that to one side. There is no doubt that Brian O’Driscoll and Shane Horgan are world class players; they have a pretty formidable group of players, but we have very good players as well. Shaun Payne is incredible and maybe isn’t given the publicity he deserves; we have quality on the wings, whether it be Hoggie (Anthony Horgan) Dowling (Ian) and Tomas (O’Leary). They’re different types of players, but who is to say they’re less effective?

“People are very quick to comment on the strengths or weaknesses, but amongst players from different sides, there is a huge amount of respect. Overall, there isn’t that much between too many players, and we will go into this match with a relative degree of confidence,” he said.

O’Gara says Munster can’t spend all their time worrying about their opponents: “It’s not totally different to playing anyone from another country. Basically, it’s a Heineken Cup semi-final, and we can’t lose sight of the fact that the reward is a place in the final. It doesn’t matter who we play; it’s how we play is most important.”