O’Gara: I’ve no Lions regrets – I always play to win’

RONAN O’GARA insists he wouldn’t change a thing about his ill-fated contribution to the British and Irish Lions’ Test series loss to South Africa.

The Munster out-half, on as a late replacement with the second Test in the balance at the Loftus Versfeld, was central to two key incidents which allowed the Springboks to claim a narrow win and an unassailable 2-0 series lead.

Having shipped a heavy blow to the head, O’Gara missed a tackle on Jaque Fourie as the Bok centre was en route to scoring in the corner.

With the sides deadlocked 25-25 each in the dying seconds, O’Gara then launched an up-and-under in an attempt to engineer the Lions into a position to steal a win, only to impede receiver Fourie du Preez and concede the last-gasp penalty which Morné Steyn landed to give the hosts victory.

O’Gara nonetheless claims he wouldn’t do things any differently.

“I remember trying to throw myself at Fourie but I couldn’t see him properly and I missed him,” he explained. “Under the posts (for the conversion) I had a bit of time to get myself together and I remember telling Tommy (Bowe) to chase that ball but that doesn’t cost me a thought, to be honest. I would do the exact same thing tomorrow, some referees would give it, others mightn’t.

“People ask me should I have kicked the ball out but it never entered my head to do that. I didn’t see what a draw would do for anyone. That’s the way my mind works anyway. Had I kicked it out, we’d have a drawn series … I don’t know … I go out to win … I know a draw is better than a defeat but it didn’t enter my head. I was contesting a Garryowen in the hope of regaining possession and we’d score at the other end of the pitch, put ourselves in position for a drop goal maybe.”

O’Gara also revealed his disappointment at losing out on a Test starting place to Welshman Stephen Jones.

“I was sitting at the meeting fully expecting to be selected, I hadn’t been tipped off so, yeah, it was a big blow,” he admitted. “Up to that, I was happy enough with my form. I had been playing really well and was excited but people will remember my tour for the incidents in the second Test.”

Looking ahead to the new season with Munster, O’Gara is eagerly awaiting the arrival of Springbok centre Jean De Villiers, a rival on the Lions tour and now all set to be a Munster teammate.

“We could talk all day about what he is going to do for Munster. We’ll just have to wait and see. He has 50 caps in the midfield for South Africa where there’s intense competition so you have to be doing something right week in, week out, with the best team in the world.”