RUGBY:RONAN O'GARA isn't exactly a sight for sore eyes this week. As well as the mother and father of all shiners, the unyielding Corkman is also nursing a sore ankle, an aching knee and a stiff back, all coming on foot of Saturday's hard-fought victory over rivals Leinster.
“That’s what you get in these derby games,” he shrugs with a smile. You get the feeling that he would have happily taken a lot more, too, just to secure the win.
“Looking back it was a good game to win because they threw everything at us,” he says. “They played particularly well. They were comfortable at half-time.
“What pleased me most was our willingness to get back into the game. Considering what has happened this season – not qualifying for the European Cup (knockout stages), mentally I think the easy option would have been to let them get the better of us but fellas dug deep inside themselves and found something. We kept coming and kept producing.”
A bit like the player himself, then. As well the physical scars on his body, O’Gara is also wearing a smile this week, a smile he can well afford given his relentless good form this season.
It’s clear 14 seasons of professional rugby haven’t diminished his appetite for the game. If anything, he’s enjoying himself as much or more than ever.
“I love rugby at the minute,” says the 34-year old. “I’ve always loved rugby. Every season I like to leave nothing in the tank. Some seasons it goes better than others.
“I’ve been very lucky and I’m proud of what I have achieved over the last 14 years.
“This season has been enjoyable and the most pleasing point of it is that I don’t do much talking. I’ve let my rugby do the talking.
“But it’s not about looking back now. I’m so driven for the next six months, and I will reassess then.”
O’Gara’s next challenge comes from Saturday’s Amlin Cup quarter-final away to Brive .
Munster’s last visit to France ended in misery when Toulon sent them crashing out of the Heineken Cup in January.
However, Ireland’s record points’ scorer maintains Munster’s 32-16 defeat at the Stade Félix Mayol is now well out of their system.
“The key point which people are probably missing is that it’s not what happened in Toulon,” he says. “That happens in rugby.
“You’re going to get days like that when a French team produces and plays their best game of the season, like they did against us.
“What we have to look at is our performance against London Irish and the Ospreys. They’re the two games which cost us qualification.
“I can accept Toulon because that can happen. I just think we were a bit soft mentally against London Irish in the first game of the campaign. You think you have five games to make it up, but at this level you don’t.”
In other Munster news, coach Tony McGahan suggested yesterday he would be looking abroad to fill the centre position soon to be vacated by Sam Tuitupou.
“Our history suggests the number 12 position is one we could look to fill from outside,” he said. “We’re developing players underneath, but at this point in time we’ll look to see what’s out there.”
Meanwhile, fit-again Denis Hurley is the only new face in this week’s extended squad.
MUNSTER SQUAD(v Brive): F Jones, D Hurley, D Howlett, J Murphy, S Tuitupou, L Mafi, K Earls, P Warwick, R O'Gara, C Murray, P Stringer, W du Preez, M Horan, S Archer, J Hayes, T Buckley, D Varley, M Sherry, D O'Callaghan, M O'Driscoll, D Ryan, N Ronan, D Wallace, J Coughlan, D Leamy.
