Out-half debate will rage on

IN THE end, the final act fell to Jonny Sexton, ball belted into touch to end what had been an absorbing if error-ridden encounter. Victory yet again for Leinster, and fully deserved, let it be added. On the night, however, did Jonny cement his current position as Declan Kidney’s first-choice out-half for Ireland?

Among many other sub-plots in this top-of-the-table Magners League clash (front-row battle in the scrums, back-row battle at the breakdown), this was the one that stood out. All during the recent Six Nations the debate raged: Sexton or O’Gara? With a summer tour to the southern hemisphere on the horizon in June, the World Cup to come next year (and make no mistake about it, O’Gara has every intention of being there, is still in his prime), it had in fact become THE burning question of Irish rugby – who is the number one number 10? During the Six Nations it was Sexton in pole position, but every time O’Gara came on he had an impact, made enough of a difference to keep the question alive. In none of those games, however – for obvious reasons – could a direct comparison be made. Last night in Thomond Park, however, they came head-to-head – what did we learn? Nothing that we didn’t already know, is the short answer.

Though conditions were ideal for running, expansive, attacking rugby, and though both O’Gara and Sexton are good passers of the ball, good men to get their backlines moving, and started in that vein, this became a war of attrition, in which case game management and goal-kicking became key. On the game management side both were superb, good gains with the line-kicking, booming garryowens, Sexton hoisting a few real cloud-touchers in the second half, though he did start off with a hiccup, O’Gara in quickly to block in just the first minute, from which came Munster’s first penalty, converted by O’Gara.