A legend of Irish rugby retires, now it’s time to pay tribute.
The big news in Irish rugby last weekend, well Friday anyway, was the fact that Leinster won two international trophies.
And I’m not just saying that because I’m a fan of the province myself; it would surely be the headline story in any country for one if it’s senior teams to have so much success in one season, let alone one night.
But there was another major scoop inserted into the media cycle around the same time…the appointment of Ronan O’Gara as Racing Métro’s assistant coach for next season.
I suppose we’ll never know exactly what the motivation was for the news to be announced as Jonathan Sexton, apparently unaware of the move, was preparing for the big RDS occasion…the more ideal time would surely have been today Tuesday, when Leinster’s celebrations had died down and the build-up to next weekend’s RaboDirectPRO12 Grand Final in Dublin was only gathering momentum.
Because the real news isn’t just the coaching appointment…it’s more the fact that the European rugby stage is to feature ROG no more; most definitely big news that deserves it’s own place in the sporting headlines.
When O’Gara first arrived on the scene, I was just reaching a point where I felt safe sharing my views about Irish rugby in public. I wasn’t blogging at the time, mind you…didn’t begin that until about 2005. But when he was playing in Heineken Cup finals and vying with David Humphreys for the Irish 10 jersey, he was, along with Brian O’Driscoll of course, one of the biggest rising stars in Irish sport as rugby’s professionalism plodded along through its infancy on this shores.
And here is something that may surprise you…from the very first time he stepped onto the national stage, I was a fan, and in many ways, I still am.
Of course the evolution of the Leinster/Munster rivalry, with its recent Sexton/ROG subplot, has muddied the waters over the years. But no rugby fan with any common sense (and maturity) could possibly deny his immense contribution to the development of the Irish game.
Sure, it hasn’t been all great, as anyone who saw the 2nd Lions test in 2009 will agree, but any annoyance I personally have regarding the player doesn’t stem from that, or indeed anything he has done on the pitch.
There can be no contest as to my most enjoyable O’Gara moment. His drop goal in the Millennium Stadium on March 21st, 2009 had to be up there with the best 40th birthday presents anyone has ever received.
And let’s be clear…I was cheering on him and his team-mates in all four of Munster’s Heineken Cup finals in the noughties – a win for an Irish province is a win for Ireland after all. Of course I have been cheering a little louder since Murrayfield 2009, but I can hardly be punished for that!
I see an article in today’s Indo where his wife is complaining about the way he was treated by Declan Kidney and the IRFU towards the end of his test career. I have to tread carefully here, but I think that’s an opinion that could have been kept for a book down the line. No, I’m not being all “women should know their place” about it. It’s more like I’m being “it’s not all about him” and however justified the viewpoint, there are many more players who can feel aggrieved by their treatment at the highest level.
Can we not just take this time to remember the good things?
His integral role in the Munster & Ireland game plan was of course the biggest feature of his career….the ability to land a rugby ball on a sixpence is cherished and he had it in spades. Kicking to touch is something that casual rugby observers have issues about, but if there was a YouTube compilation put together with a string of his finest punts from the hand I for one would definitely appreciate it, even if many of them were against Leinster.
And we cannot ignore the points scoring. 1,083 in 128 tests? That’s almost double the nearest man to him on the Irish scoring charts, ironically Humphreys. And Sexton will probably have to play until he’s 37 (and hope he hasn’t been upstaged by some upstart like Ian Madigan) to come near that total.
But of all the skills required for the aggressive sport of rugby union, coolness under pressure is one that is most prized as it can so often prove the difference between victory and defeat.
So to be able to find the mental fortitude to assume the right position, steady yourself, receive a pass in both hands, hold it at the right angle, ignore the pair of Joneses hurtling toward you with arms raised, ignore the 74,000 screaming fans, ignore the 61 years of hurt for Irish fans, and let the ball hit the turf as you strike it in such a way that it sails through the uprights is stuff of pure (yes I’ll go there) LIGIND.
Of course that wasn’t the only time he turned a game at that stage in that way (100,000 phases springs to mind), but it’s the stand out moment for me.
For the rest of this week I will be devoting my attention to a couple of departing Leinster legends, but for now I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the career of one of Test rugby’s finest players. And I wish him all the best in his future endeavours. JLP
