Kicking king O’Gara still hungry for success

RONAN O’GARA can scarcely believe that he is on the cusp of winning his 90th Irish cap, following his debut as a fresh-faced kid against Scotland at Lansdowne Road in 2000.

That first appearance for Ireland, and the experience of a thumping victory that helped turn Ireland’s rugby fortunes around, was a dream come true.

Little did he know it would lead to a distinguished international career that has yielded scoring records, participation in two Lions tours and, today, a milestone boasted by very few. At Croke Park today, O’Gara joins an elite club that includes only Malcolm O’Kelly, John Hayes and Irish captain Brian O’Driscoll in the 90-cap brigade.

“I never thought I’d still be around 10 years on. I remember my first cap vividly, I remember the thrill and particularly because it worked out well for the team. The fascinating thing is it doesn’t actually seem that long ago,” he said.

“I feel I’m only halfway through, although, being realistic, I suppose I am at the latter end of my career, so I’ll enjoy big occasions and big games.

“Funnily enough, I counted my first 10 caps and knew exactly what I was on, then you count in blocks of fives, and probably the next big goal was to hit 50. After that I guess you stop counting, but a certain amount of confidence comes and you try to improve the performance of the team every time — that has always been my biggest goal,” he said.

O’Gara is acknowledged worldwide as one of the best out-halves in the business; cool under pressure, he boasts a brilliant kicking and tactical game and has emerged as a world class game-breaker in recent years.

Just a fortnight ago, Nick Mallett, the former Springbok and current Italian coach, enthused: “He is a fantastic player, you’ve got to just sit back and admire the qualities he brings to the game and especially to the Irish team. Brilliant.”

The Six Nations’ top point scorer during the 2005, 2006 and 2007 seasons and also the holder of the Heineken Cup’s points-scoring record, O’Gara was born in San Diego in the US and educated at Presentation Brothers College, Cork and UCC before going on to join Cork Constitution.

Following his call to Irish arms, O’Gara bedded in quickly and battled with Ulster’s David Humphreys for the Ireland number 10 jersey over the coming seasons until the latter’s retirement in 2006.

He overtook Humphreys as Ireland’s record point scorer in the 2006 Six Nations opener against Italy, during which he scored 16 points, including his eighth Test try.

Memorably, O’Gara was the first points and try scorer for Ireland in their inaugural outing at Croke Park two years ago against France.

Facing old rivals England today, O’Gara won’t need any extra motivation.

“It’s always nice to play them, nice to beat them, but we’re taking this season one game at a time. We beat them well two years ago; they beat us well last year, so it’s all to play for. They played very well against Wales and I think we’ve seen how much they are prepared to play for Martin Johnson.

“We can talk it up as long as we like; all will be decided by what we produce in 80 minutes of rugby; we have to win and move on to see what we can achieve. Believe me, we have a huge desire to achieve.”