This benefits everyone involved.
On the latest episode of SportsJOE Live, Ronan O’Gara exclusively divulged the details over earlier reports linking him to a coaching position for the Irish national team during the summer.
The Racing 92 coach will link up with Joe Schmidt’s squad during the first leg of Ireland’s summer tour in the USA.
O’Gara will act as a skills coach and he will also work with the out-halves who are on tour.
A new gig @ScrewfixIreland https://t.co/5NzJwubXag
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) April 5, 2017
On the latest episode of SportsJOE’s rugby podcast, The Hard Yards, O’Gara was asked about how the position came about.
He revealed that he has been in contact with Schmidt for some time, ever since Johnny Sexton was playing his rugby in Paris.
“I’ve been in contact with Joe ever since Johnny was in the club. I would regularly discuss rugby with him. You could talk to him a few times a week and then you mightn’t talk to him for months,” O’Gara said.
However, his conversations with Ireland’s head coach didn’t solely concern Sexton.
O’Gara reveals that he calls Schmidt to ask him about parts of the game which he doesn’t understand.
“But if I was struggling with an area of the game which I didn’t understand, he would be one of the first people I would ring and ask because he watches rugby all around the world and he knows exactly what you would be talking about.
“He’s interested in the Top 14 as well.”
This can only be a good thing for Irish rugby.
It’s incredibly likely that O’Gara will end up coaching in Ireland on a full-time basis at some stage in the future.
Be that with a province or the national side remains to be seen.
But for O’Gara to be able to learn from one of world rugby’s greatest minds is something which will benefit the Cork man and hopefully Irish rugby in the future.
This relationship goes both ways too, O’Gara offers insights into the French-based Irish players such as James Hart and Chris Farrell.
The duo are both Munster-bound next season and you would expect O’Gara’s advice with regards to these two players would have helped convince Schmidt to encourage both of them to return to Ireland.
“I obviously have James Hart in the club at the minute, Chris Farrell is in Grenoble, so he has a big desire to see how his Irish players are faring and I think the report from the media is very different from the report of a person on the ground.”
In just two months time, O’Gara will have the opportunity to learn from Schmidt in person.
And you can be damn sure that he will secure as much knowledge and information as he can.
