RONAN O’GARA CUT a dejected figure as the dust settled at Stade Yves du Manoir on Saturday evening.
A good 45 minutes after his honest post-match TV interview, the former Munster out-half was still clearly feeling the pain of watching Racing 92 concede four tries in a 32-7 defeat on home soil.
O’Gara wore an Axel t-shirt throughout Saturday’s game. Source: Billy Stickland/INPHO
Ever the gracious host, O’Gara waited patiently for the small group of Irish journalists to finish their interviews with Rassie Erasmus, Peter O’Mahony and a handful of Racing players.
Leaning against a window overlooking the darkened stadium, he was willing to front up to what had happened against his native province.
O’Gara had just spoken with his wife, Jessica, on the phone before the dictaphones started recording, and was able to summon a rueful smile as he recounted part of the conversation.
“My wife said to me, ‘You knew this morning you were going to get hammered’ and I said, ‘No, I didn’t!’ It’s just another day’s learning, that’s the reality of it.
O’Gara has been full of praise for Munster in recent times, with his column in the Irish Examiner last week just the latest example.
So for the 39-year-old, who is an assistant coach with Racing, it wasn’t a huge surprise to note the quality of the performance.
“I knew they would be good and watching them up close they were really good, yeah,” said O’Gara, his speech littered with thoughtful pauses, as always.
“They were really good. They’ve great detail in their game and the biggest thing that struck me was athletes in their prime against fellas that are in their 30s.
“You look at CJ Stander, Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray – he was a class above everyone else on the pitch I thought – and they just schooled us in every department really.”
O’Gara arrives at Stade Yves du Manoir on Saturday. Source: Billy Stickland/INPHO
Racing and their coaching staff wore ‘Axel’ t-shirts during their warm-up on Saturday, but it was particularly poignant to see O’Gara emerge from the dressing room with his friend’s nickname emblazoned across his back.
O’Gara didn’t remove the memorial t-shirt during the game either, wearing the red garment as he watched Racing’s failure in some dismay.
It was a strange experience for Munster to return to the city where Anthony Foley passed away, and Paris will never be the same for this squad. O’Gara missed his old mate dearly this week, of course, although that was the same last week and the week before that.
“Of course, but I think that will remain, hopefully, for as long as I live,” said O’Gara. “I don’t think any of us look upon him in the past tense. The fact that I live here, you just expect to see him.
“You just expect to see these guys, so I don’t really have answers as to how to deal with that.”