O’Gara keen to win back Ireland place

CAST an eye over the Irish rugby scene and consider those you believe to have the most competitive streak.

We tend to go foremost to Brian O’Driscoll or Paul O’Connell, but, among all the above, what of Ronan O’Gara? Name me another who is targeted so much, knocked down so often, yet bounces back every single time. Name me another athlete who, in the course of his/her career, has been knocked back so often yet keeps coming back for more.

True grit behind a smooth veneer, steely mental toughness behind an angelic grin, ferociously combative and competitive streak in the kind of physique that isn’t designed naturally to cope with such a ferociously combative and competitive sport – that’s the real Ronan O’Gara.