If one man would call it as he sees it, Ronan O’Gara would do it more honestly.
The Irish legend knows what it takes to be a winner but a lot of that comes from the fact that he’s had his fair share of bad days too. He never tried to dress them up as anything else though.
So, as Ireland went down 27-22 to Scotland in the Six Nations opener, there was no pretending like it wasn’t as bad as it was.
And O’Gara never tries to cut corners. He doesn’t do it as a coach and he sure as hell didn’t do it as a player.
“In terms of sacrifice, do you want to go for a walk in the forest with your family of a Sunday or you want to go kicking in Musgrave Park?” he spoke before about preparation and bouncing back from missed chances.
“I know what I want to do today but back then, I wanted to go kicking balls.”Â
So when the Munster native watches what all Irish rugby fans were forced to watch in the first half against Scotland, it doesn’t sit well with him. Bullied, was the most apt word he could summon. Bullied.
Ronan O'Gara: Ireland have been bullied. There is a breakdown in communication between players that haven't played together at this level." pic.twitter.com/5i4J8PREYw
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) February 4, 2017
Whilst Stuart Hogg waltzed in for the two opening tries and Rob Kearney felt the full brunt force of a frustrated public because of it, O’Gara put it short and sweet.
“Hogg is getting too much of a free run,” he said.
“Good player, yes. But he shouldn’t be made to look that good.”
Of course, the former out-half has been at the wrong end of it himself and he remembers those days all too well.
Himself and Shane Horgan recalled a day in 2001 when the Irish backline was praised to the high heavens only to crumble against the Scots.
“We went out and went on the sauce for the night,” O’Gara told the tale of trying to get over the loss.
“I was rooming with Guy Easterby and we came back at 6 in the morning to our hotel. The paper was on the knob of the door.
“So we got into the bedroom and Guy started reading the sports section. He got onto the ratings and said, ‘ROG, do you want the good news or the bad news?’
“I said, ‘Give us the good news, Guy.’
“‘We got five out of 20 between us…'”
It was Easterby who got the 3.
Ireland have 40 minutes to change tomorrow morning's player ratings. Tell us more panel….. pic.twitter.com/zLqT7EihnZ
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) February 4, 2017
They might not look too good for Joe Schmidt’s men today either.
