“I Miss It, Of Course I Do” – Her.ie Meets Rugby Legend Ronan O’Gara

Ronan O’Gara is one of the country’s most celebrated sports stars but he’s also one of the most interesting, which he proved when he sat down for a chat with us yesterday. The Ireland and Munster legend spoke about how he felt about his documentary, what he regards as his career highlight and the thing he misses most about the playing the game he loves.                                                    Here's what he had to say on... The Reaction to His Documentary “It’s fantastic because I can’t decide what people are going to make of it and when it’s you involved, it’s difficult because I don’t know how people are going to perceive it. The reaction was hugely important and it’s given me massive satisfaction. I put a lot into my career and am not looking for any pats on the back or anything like that, but I think people probably weren’t aware of what’s involved in being a rugby player. Some people probably said it meant too much to me but it could never mean too much to you playing for your country. This is a great county and I suppose I had great people in the Munster team that stressed the importance of playing well for your own people...I’m delighted with the reaction to it because it’s important for people to respect you but it’s even better for people to respect you and probably like you as well. I think that’s human nature.” Giving People an Insight into His Life “I think they did a good job in portraying the real me and it wasn’t an intrusion at all. People might find that a strange comment but what happened was that Dave Berry was essentially with me after every game and then there was a little bit of family life at different periods but it never felt intrusive. There’s nothing worse than someone following you but rugby is my work so it’s different. Rugby is hugely important to me but there’s nothing more important than family. I suppose it was also the ability of Dave to capture my thoughts immediately after the matches. It felt very natural.” Missing the Game “I miss it, of course I do but I know that nothing lasts forever. I’ve had a great time in both the red jersey and the green jersey and it was most definitely the best time for me to get out. I got out near the top if not at the top so that’s important. I think there’s nothing worse than a dying animal; you either go at your prime or you die a very slow and painful death in front of the nation and that’s not the way I wanted it to happen. There’s nothing like being in a winning dressing room after a game. That’s the best feeling, when you’re among all your teammates, just having the crack and reminiscing about what happened on the pitch. That’s very special to the players involved.” Being a Coach “It’s hugely different because there’s no release. As a player, no matter how well or poorly you play, you have a mental release from it after an hour and 20 minutes on the pitch. As  a coach you can see things a lot more clearer but then again, you want to do it but you can’t get to do it so it’s very frustrating in that respect. That’s the big thing and I’m a bad loser so it’s very difficult and very strange but I have to get used to it.” Having Less Spare Time Than Before “It’s actually worse! It’s busier because I have a great opportunity in relation to Racing Métro. There’s two senior coaches ahead of me but that’s all there is for the entire team but it was too good an opportunity to say no to. I’m immersed in the deep end and it’s time-consuming but it’s great because it’s a great opportunity in terms of the ability to learn a new language and we are living in Paris which is nice. From a selfish point of view, it's going to benefit my career in the long run but I think the family benefits as well.” His Career Highlight “I think the Grand Slam with Ireland because it was such a hard  thing to do and we had been knocking on the door for so many years. It was great to get over the line and obviously winning  two Heineken Cups with Munster was very special because those players were probably as close as you’ll ever get to players. As a sportsman, playing for your country is more challenging and there’s huge pride involved.”   Ronan O'Gara is an ambassador for Viviscal Man, a hair treatment product available from leading pharmacies and health stores. For more information on their latest range, visit www.viviscalman.ie