O'Gara sends out all the right signals to Irish selectors
Having starred in the unbeaten autumn international series, which included a magnificent all-round exhibition in atrocious conditions against world champions Australia, injury cost O'Gara his prized number 10 at the start of the 6-Nations.
David Humphreys seized the opportunity and impressed mightily in his first two games.
With this performance however, O'Gara has shown emphatically that his injuries are now behind him, that he is back to his best, and with Humphreys stuttering somewhat against France last time out, a less-than-commanding performance, O'Gara must surely now be back in the frame.
O'Gara was seven from eight with the boot, three from wide left with the wind, one in the second half from wide right, across a stiff wind, a superb strike.
Impressive as the kicking surely was, however, it was the hands, the handling, the passing that really caught the eye. Long, short, constantly probing, switching the angle of attack, but always, always, demanding that the runner step up to the mark.
Even O'Gara himself was pleased. "Yeah, I was very happy with that. You have to adjust a small bit (from international level) not wanting to take from club players, but the likes of Brian O'Driscoll accelerating onto the ball, a few fellas today were nearly pulling hamstrings because I was expecting them to be onto the balls in the same way.
"Definitely I was very happy with the passing, we got on the outside of them a few times, and there's more satisfaction in creating tries than kicking goals.
"All-round, I was very happy, things have gone sweetly, now I just get myself ready for the squad tomorrow".
Make no mistake, O'Gara wants that green number 10 shirt back.
"Yeah, obviously I don't intend spending my time on the bench. All I can do is present myself fit and willing, and I think I showed there today that I'm in good enough shape. It's out of my hands now".
The form of O'Gara is good news for the Irish selectors, but there was good news also for Munster, because close behind O'Gara for the man-of-the-match award was returning winger Anthony Horgan with a hat-trick of tries, the second of which, a 40m against the grain tackle-breaking power-and-pace run, was the pick of a ten-try feast (one for the visitors, full-back Maurice Logue catching the home defence napping).
Also hugely impressive in this Cork Con romp was second-row Mick O'Driscoll, supreme in the lineout on either throw, rampant in the loose, especially at kick-off time where he leaped like a gazelle, fetched like an All-Star Gaelic midfielder, while scrum-half Brian O'Meara more than played his part in the O'Meara/O'Gara rhyming couplet on-song half-back partnership, with a try and difficult conversion in an overall near-perfect display.
All the Cork Con big guns bar John Kelly were back, and all were firing, a fact that pleased coach Christy Cantillon.
"In the last few weeks, we've had two or three, but today was the first time we had them all, and I think the quality of player we have this year is better than ever before. It's a difficult situation, but one has to understand the way it is when Munster are playing again, all the Con fellas will be there shouting for them.
"With Blackrock losing today, this puts us back in the top-four picture, especially if we win next week against Ballymena; with a bonus point, we'd be in joint fourth position, which is amazing when you consider that we lost five matches in a row."
Should Cork Con make the top four, with all their contracted players then available to them, they would surely prove a handful to any team.
"Well if we can make it to the last four, we would have the personnel to do the business." Hoping then that Nemo Rangers, in a similar situation in today's All-Ireland club football final, can be the first Cork club to break that sequence?
"Well hopefully, if they can win, it might change our luck as well".
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