McRae to apologise to O’Gara for assault
McRae, now with Munster’s Heineken Cup pool rivals Gloucester, was suspended for six weeks after a vicious attack on O’Gara during the Lions’ clash with the NSW Waratahs in Sydney in 2001.
“I am still embarrassed by what happened that night,” McRae admitted yesterday. “There was no excuse for what I did and deserved the punishment handed out to me. I said sorry at the time, but I have never met Ronan and if I do get to meet him next month I would like to apologise to him in person.”
Gloucester and Munster will meet in crucial back-to-back fixtures on January 10th and 17th, which will effectively settle Pool 5 after both sides had comfortable wins at the weekend over Bourgoin and Treviso respectively.
Though Munster’s Thomond Park following are renowned for their respect for visiting teams, that decorum will be put to the test when McRae visits on January 17th.
“I will be the villain of the piece when we visit Munster, but I have to make sure that I am properly focused because the two games against them are going to decide the destiny of the group title,” said the former Saracens star.
He played a crucial attacking role in Saturday’s comprehensive 49-13 win over Bourgoin, but with the Munster ties looming, his thoughts turned to the incident which shocked rugby supporters around the world.
“I cannot explain why I acted as I did and it is something I will always regret. I know the Munster coach Alan Gaffney well and everyone in the game appreciates that things happen on the field which in hindsight you come to feel ashamed about,” he said.
Gloucester will have their own instincts for revenge against Munster, after the humiliation they suffered at Thomond Park last season which cost them a place in the Heineken Cup quarter finals.
“We are a wiser team for that experience,” said the Gloucester forwards’ coach Dean Ryan.
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