Rog ready for Volley and record

THE MOST influential player the Heineken Cup has seen since its inception in 1995/96?

Has to be Ronan O’Gara, the Munster out-half, who this evening plays his 50th match in the competition, and will, with a bit of luck, become the record points scorer to boot. Since first capped against Harlequins in 1997, O’Gara has been a towering figure; indeed it is not unreasonable to say that without his enormous contribution, Munster would not have reached the knock-out stages every year from 1998.

Perhaps that’s why he finds himself targeted by the opposition and consequently all too often in the eye of a storm. Last year’s head-to-head with Gloucester’s Duncan McRae, the man who beat him black and blue during the 2001 Lions tour, comes immediately to mind. His clash this evening with the volatile Castres No 8 Paul Volley can be put in a similar category, although everybody associated with Munster is adamant there will not be a problem today, just as there wasn’t 12 months ago when McRae entered the Limerick fortress.