Paulie backs O’Gara coaching call

Paul O’Connell has backed former Munster team-mate Ronan O’Gara to be a “great” coach after the fly-half announced he was retiring and taking a job on Racing Metro’s backroom staff.

O’Connell, 33, has played his entire career alongside O’Gara for Munster, Ireland and the British & Irish Lions, winning two Heineken Cups and a Grand Slam together.

Yesterday, as O’Connell and his Lions teammates continued preparations for the forthcoming Series at Carton House, Co. Kildare, the lock reacted to O’Gara’s weekend announcement and predicted a coaching career for the Corkman every bit as successful as his playing days.

“I think as an out-half you have to be massively involved in the decision-making before the game, in terms of how you’re going to play, the plays you’re going to use and what you’re going to do,” O’Connell said.

“Then you have to go out and execute that on the pitch and then as well as that be able to change it, so he certainly has all the necessary qualities.

“And when you’re a kicker as well you have to work harder than everyone else. You have to do four or five extra sessions a week that everyone else doesn’t have to do, so he has a great work ethic, great attention to detail and a great love for the game as well. So, yeah, I think he’s going to be a great coach.”

As for the prospect of O’Gara serving as Jonny Sexton’s kicking coach at Racing, O’Connell pointed to his fellow old stager’s winning personality in the dressing room and on the training field.

“Yeah, it probably is funny all right but no matter who he’s coaching I think they’ll enjoy working with him.

“He’s a funny character, Rog, he’s got a great charm about him, he’s got a great way of getting on with the players around him and getting the best out of the players around him and hopefully he’ll bring that out as a coach as well.”

While O’Gara goes off to France to start his coaching career, O’Connell will return to his province in late summer coming to terms with a notable absence but determined that Munster will get on without the iconic fly-half.

“It’s going to be very strange but I suppose I’m getting older myself and I think retirement is a very personal decision, especially for some of the guys who have retired in recent years the decision has been made for them.

“But I’d say Ronan’s body is in fairly good shape and it’s tough to do that, to walk away when you’re still in good shape. And in fairness he played very well towards the end of the season so I’d say it was a really tough decision for him and it’s one I didn’t want to interfere with.

“The only thing I would have said to him was to make sure he took his time making it and didn’t rush into anything, but he seems delighted with what has transpired since, he wants to coach and he’s got a great opportunity at Racing.

“So it’s going to be very different for me and for lot of guys and for supporters of Munster going forward, but that’s what happens.

“Anthony Foley retired and we moved on, Jerry Flannery, David Wallace, Alan Quinlan, unfortunately we’ve all got to go sometime but Munster moves on and plenty of players have been discovered.”

Of more immediate concern for O’Connell, however, is how quickly the Lions squad he goes on tour with next Monday comes together as a team. Having led the Lions in 2009, he admitted he was more relaxed four years on and free of the captaincy even if he recognises he still has an important leadership role to play under 2013 skipper Sam Warburton.

“We’ve seen the Super XV and the Australian teams are playing well and a lot of individuals are showing good form so there are going to be some very tough times on the tour and it’s important for us and for him to maintain belief in his own play and leadership and for us to maintain our belief in the talent we have,” explained O’Connell.

“There will be tough times when we will be criticised and when we feel we’re not performing to the best of our ability and it’s important that you can maintain belief,” he added.