Back in the groove.
Ronan O’Gara began his summer furlough with Ireland on Wednesday, linking up with Joe Schmidt and the squad in Carton House ahead of the Tour to the United States and Japan.
O’Gara, along with Munster’s Felix Jones and Girvan Dempsey of Leinster, will be pitching in for periods of Ireland’s end-of-season three-Test series and, while it is only temporary, the Racing 92 coach admitted it was a thrill to be back involved with the international set-up.
The Corkman played his last Test match in the 2013 Six Nations, coming on as a replacement in the Murrayfield defeat to Scotland.
Declan Kidney was sacked following that underwhelming tournament, with the man who coached O’Gara at Munster and Ireland replaced by Joe Schmidt – who has subsequently delivered two Six Nations and historic wins over the All Blacks and South Africa.
Speaking on SportsJOE Live, O’Gara was asked which coach he would have most liked to play under and he replied Schmidt.
“I never played with him or for him, but he coached Leinster when I played for Munster, that was when they got the better of us. It would have been fascinating to have played under him.”
This answer was perhaps influenced by his first day in Ireland camp, working with Schmidt. However O’Gara said that returning to an Ireland squad, in any capacity, after a career spanning 128 Tests was a very special feeling.
“It was brilliant, unbelievably exciting. When something is taken away that you have done for a long time and you get the opportunity to get back as player or coach, it is still with Ireland, and you never forget that.
“If you don’t get that then you need to change sports.”
Watch from 45 minutes onwards below to see Ronan O’Gara discuss Ireland and Joe Schmidt
