NEW ZEALAND TOUR RONAN O'GARA:Munster's veteran knows he has one final personal chance to lay the New Zealand bogey writes GERRY THORNLEY

AN AUDIENCE with Ronan O’Gara is not unlike one with his fellow Corkman, Roy Keane; whom O’Gara admires immensely, of course. Like Keane, O’Gara is bright, thoughtful, articulate, intense, high-achieving and opinionated; and not shy of voicing his views. Neither of them exactly do dull.

Just back from a morning weights session, O’Gara sits down with a small troupe of Irish media in the glassed restaurant of the team hotel facing out onto Wakatipu Lake, framed by snow-covered mountains.

These first four days of the week are largely about a light workload mixed in with some RR to recreate some of the World Cup buzz last September. But O’Gara’s take on all this is almost classically Keanesque.

“Yeah, people ask me that but it doesn’t mean anything to me. The week of Test matches my mindset (is) I could be in Cork. All that matters is the game on Saturday. Obviously, I have got better as the years go by, and can relax, but it is too good an opportunity at this stage. Saturday is last chance saloon for a lot of us to fill the massive void that is there in terms of never beating New Zealand in our international career.”

Saturday in Christchurch constituted perhaps the best opportunity yet. O’Gara came on in the 51st minute with the score 16-13 to the All Blacks and injected real purpose into Ireland’s game, dovetailing with both Jonathan Sexton and Brian O’Driscoll.

“It was really enjoyable,” he admits, revealing he has been chiding O’Driscoll with the moniker “Maggsy” in reference to the way Kevin Maggs used to take the ball hard and fast up the middle.

“The passing works when you have someone who is hitting hard lines and that is exactly what he was doing. He was laughing saying ‘is that what my career is reduced to?’ – but I said to Brian ‘you can go side to side but there has to be someone to take them out on first phase’ and I thought he was very effective playing the role we needed him to play.”

That this tour has underlined the importance of restarts almost amuses him.

“Yeah, it’s crazy. There’s always something big that comes out of it isn’t there? It’ll be all the rage now in the Northern Hemisphere when we go back,” he says, laughing. “But in fairness to Carter, he has great ability to put the ball where (Kieran) Read wants it. But that’s his easiest kick, so cut it off. And when we did cut it off, a good bit into the game, he didn’t kick that side.”

Starting O’Gara with Sexton at inside centre is one of three options open to the management in the absence of Gordon D’Arcy. He’d love to start, but accepts there has to be a plan now for the future, albeit with a rider. “I’m 35 now but the day you’re happy to accept you’re second best will be the day you walk. I’ll be competitive until the end, as ye know,” he smiles.

Whether it’s for one minute or 80 minutes, he’s been telling “the inexperienced fellas” you have be “20 per cent” better than the player you replace.

“The bench did make an impact and that is crucial. I think as you become more experienced you realise the last half an hour is where the game is won.

“Obviously, we lost out in the first 40 minutes, I felt, in terms of when we were 10-0 up, we gave away nine soft points and the try we conceded probably shouldn’t have been conceded. Watching from the sideline, I thought our defence was really good.”

The “ultimate stamp” would have been an Irish try and he ruefully reflects on two switches back infield when there was more space on Julian Savea’s wing.

But with the scrum on top, it had looked set up for yet another in his unprecedented sequence of match-winning drop goals, rather than a first for Carter.

“Jeez, I know, I would have taken that strike too!” he says, laughing. “I was visualising it, any break in play I was trying to pick a spot and I was saying ‘Is this going to happen? Please’. I can live with having a go and missing, it’s the not getting a go is very frustrating, but the only thing about it is you have to be competitive to give yourself a chance.”

He believes Ireland will improve this week, although he’s equally sure there will be an All Blacks backlash and rather than starting in second gear they will start in fourth. “Mental preparation is huge in this game, so it will be interesting.”

O’Gara had no issue with Steve Hansen’s post-match comments that Ireland had played as well as they could whereas his team “weren’t great”, interpreting it in the light of Hansen’s largely complimentary comments.

Also noting it was said straight after the game he adds with a knowing smile: “I’ve said plenty of things in the past.”

And if there’s a lack of respect hereabouts, he reasons: “They only will respect you when you beat them, that is fair enough – that’s life isn’t it, so that’s exactly where we are. We can’t have any complaints until we beat them.”

So how do Ireland do it in what is sure to be his last game against them? “It’s such small margins. I think the pleasing thing about last weekend is we put ourselves in the position to win, but we didn’t get over the line. I know from past things that the more you are in these positions, you’ll get over the line the next time.

“You can’t be fluctuating between Eden Park to Christchurch to a mediocre performance. You’ve got to have your values and your standards and keep hitting them and then when you hit them, things happen,” he adds. “They shouldn’t have won at the weekend but they’re down a man, they’re under the cosh, but they win the game.”

Values. Standards. Remind you of anyone? No, he hadn’t watched the football. Yes, he had heard about Keane’s comments and the furore it generated. And yes, needless to say, he concurred.

“Yeah. I don’t think it’s the public’s perception that we need to change. We came home from the World Cup near heroes, England came out and they were lambasted. Gone are the days of (just) being competitive, I think.

“We’re not competitive in the soccer case. Yeah, I think when we have our standards really high we’ll be good.”