Mental toughness sees O'Gara through

Ronan O’Gara credits mental resilience for enabling him to cope with the fluctuating fortunes of a fly-half as his Ireland comeback gathers pace against France on Saturday.

O’Gara has held off the challenge of Jonathan Sexton, who is close to a full recovery from a dead leg, to retain the number 10 jersey for the RBS 6 Nations title showdown in Paris.

The 32-year-old was in a confessional mood as he reflected on events last autumn, when he was dropped for a major Test for the first time since 2003.

Initially he absolved himself of blame for Declan Kidney’s decision to demote him for the 15-10 victory against South Africa, a result clinched through Sexton’s goalkicking.

But having confronted the uncomfortable truth that it was the correct call by Kidney, O’Gara has flourished amid the latest twist to a career spent exclusively in the most scrutinised position of all.

His impressive form for Munster this season, combined with a flawless 16-point haul in last Saturday’s 29-11 victory over Italy, have offered the chance to re-establish himself.

“If you’re going to be consistently around for 10 years and treading such a tightrope in games you’re going to experience both sides of the coin,” he said.

“If you want to succeed, keep coming back and be selected for your country - and I’m lucky to be making my 95th appearance on Saturday – you have to be good at a lot of things.

“But more than anything you must be good at dealing with disappointment and the mental side of the game because at fly-half you’re the hero or you get slated.

“Some people can’t handle that mentally but that’s been a strong trait of mine. I can take the rough times, and by God there have been some rough times.

“You just have to dig in, believe in yourself and keep coming back for more.

“Sometimes it hasn’t been easy but it makes you appreciate the great days so much more.”

For six years O’Gara had been the automatic choice at fly-half and among the first three names on the teamsheet, so his removal to the bench last November was a seismic event in Irish rugby.

The shockwaves subsided as Sexton landed five penalties to humble the world champion Springboks, but for O’Gara the soul searching had just begun.

“It hurts when you’re dropped. It’s very disappointing, especially when you care about the team so much,” he said.

“When it happens you try to see where you can make improvements. You look at yourself harder but usually you try to blame other people and not yourself.

“When you’re dropped there’s no need to panic. I had to go away, sort things out and come back.

“I think I’ve been playing well this season, though I didn’t goalkick well. That’s a fact and you have to be criticised for these things.

“I needed to address that and that’s what I did. I was happy in my own head, even when things weren’t going so well.”

While O’Gara has come to terms with his absence for a famous Irish triumph, he is spurred on by the misery he felt last autumn.

“You want to be ruthless as a sportsman. If there was one thing in my head after last summer it was trying to beat South Africa,” he said.

“It was the one game I wanted to play in, the big match of the autumn.

“Everyone was talking about it and it was the one that I knew we would win. I didn’t get the opportunity and Jon did well.

“It hurts, but you move on. A lot happens in a week, never mind a month. But it’s fresh enough to keep me highly motivated.”