Flannery: Keatley can be as effective as O’Gara

Jerry Flannery has urged Ian Keatley not to settle for second best should he be required to fill in for Munster icon Ronan O’Gara in Sunday’s must-win Heineken Cup clash with Racing Metro at Thomond Park.

O’Gara faces a possible suspension, having been cited for an incident in last week’s win over Edinburgh, and Keatley is poised to make just his third Heineken Cup start and the second at number 10.

Yesterday, he won a seal of approval from former colleague Jerry Flannery, who urged 25 year-old Keatley to stamp his own class on the tie and prove he can be every bit as effective as O’Gara.