Tuesday 21 May, 2013
WHILE NOTHING HAS been confirmed yet, it seems that Declan Kidney has ended the career of Ireland’s most capped player.
Ronan O’Gara has been left out in favour of Jonathan Sexton, Paddy Jackson and Ian Madigan for next weekend’s Six Nations clash with France in Dublin.
We want to know if you think it was the right decision. Was Kidney right to axe O’Gara?
Poll Results:
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He should be remember as the greatest kicking no10 of our time. Highest 6 nations points scorer and an excellent controller of a game.
Kidney has made the right decision at The wrong time. He should of had a conversation with ROG before the championship and gave ROG the chance to leave with dignity intact.
I agree, and ROG is not alone in the group of players that need to start looking in this direction. I don’t know if ROG is a scapegoat as such, just really bad timing. Kidney may want to have this conversation with himself.. He did a lot for Irish rugby but it might be time for him to slip away as well.. Go with dignity, don’t go because your contract wasn’t renewed.
What a career he had, if the three incumbents have similar they will be extremely lucky. ROG fought hard but time waits for no man, I won’t be remembering his ireland career for the last few games it will be the 13 or so years as the best out half in the northern hemisphere
He has been made a scapegoat for the managements mess up,yes he hasn’t played great but he has missed too much rugby to be fit enough for international rugby.,Heaslip as great as he was 2 years ago shouldn’t be playing yet alone be captain,Trimble should be in ahead of earls(and I am a munster man)BOD should still be captain until he retires.Jackson isn’t good enough yet and the Scotland game proved that,a game we should have been 20+ points ahead at half time.
He’s been an excellent servant for Irish rugby but he’s put himself in danger of being remembered for not quitting when he should have instead of being remembered as the greatest out half we’ve had.
Ultimately there are 2 games left in the championship. Why not leave him in the squad and leave him bow out in 2-3 weeks instead of this treatment. He is after all the more decorated fly half ever to play in green. If the same treatment was given to Deccie he wouldn’t be too pleased
People like David Wallace didn’t have the chance to get the crowds recognition they deserved for their service to Irish Rugby. At least give him a 5 min cameo
Kidney has failed to reward form and stayed loyal too long to many who didn’t contribute half as much as ROG so this ROG out of form bs justification is nonsense
If kidney is brave enough to make this decision on ogara then – heaslip shouldn’t start the next day never mind been captain.
Not in this way, ROG has been a pillar of Irish rugby and has demonstrated over the years his skills and has worn the green with pride and helped Ireland to get to a higher level in international rugby, this is not the way to reward him for that. This is a managerial problem, the same as the removal of the captaincy of BOD, who also is coming to the end of his international career. It could have done with some reflection, in a more considerate manner. We will probably be creamed by the French next weekend, when we have all the talent to beat them but for sure this type of announcement will not help the moral of the Irish team, who is next to get the chop, O’Connel?
Terrible that the IRFU don’t give players an opportunity to retire with dignity. Remember OGara suggested retirement after the World Cup but the IRFU quickly came out saying he had 2 years left in his contract.
OGara deserves better then to be dropped like this. What about a planned exit strategy.
What fantastic moments of joy he has given us. Thanks ROG
It’s time to move on and I think
It’s right that we move forward without ROG. However I don’t think this has been handled well at all. We all know his best years are behind him and there’s no shame in that and we need to play the in form players from now on. I only wish kidney had realised this earlier and allowed ROG a more respectful means of bowing out from the international stage after everything he’s done in green. This appears like kidney could be using ROG as a scapegoat and perhaps trying to re-invent himself to try and save his job by appearing brave enough to make big calls and that he is willing to bring through the next wave of young Irish players.
The manager is supposed to pick the best players available to him. Rog hasn’t been for a while and Kidney should have told him that he didn’t feature in his plans and left it up to him to announce his retirement from international rugby, if he wanted, before squad was announced
ROG should have gone before the autumn internationals to give the new upcoming 10s a chance. He should & will be remembered for being a great out half.
However, I don’t think chopping & changing during a six nations is the right thing to do. It shows Deccie is willing to try anything to go & save his own contract.
Jesus some people talk some shit. He’s been a great player for ireland munster over the years. Deserves a place in the squad for the last two games. I never seen anything in him that suggests he felt he was bigger than the team. Also i think he wanted to retire after the world cup but irfu wouldnt let him.
Ronan is still worth his salt. Kidney has treated him very badly. Kidney doesn’t seem to like big personalities in his teams. He deserved more respect at beginning of an end to a glorious career. Moving the captaincy off O’Driscoll tells you the mind set of the man. Even if he says he agreed.
Met the man in cork some years ago, found him the most ignorant and arrogant man I’d ever met, so had an instant dislike for him ever since but have to say he has been treated a bit shabbily especially as we have nothing left to play for
If there’s nothing else left to play for, then surely using the oppertunity to blood the younger players who we will have to rely on the the world cup in two years time is the right decision. No offense to O’Gara, but he hasn’t found form and he’s no longer the reliable pair of boots that he used to be and there is no room on the team for tourists.
Johnny, if that is directed at me, then yes, I did watch the game last night, and while it was nice to see O’Gara taking on some of the rucking duties against a very physical Ospreys side, when it came down to the pressure kick at the end, he bottled it badly.
Yes – bottled it. Two or three seasons ago he would have made that kick in his sleep with both arms behind his back. The delivery was fine, if agonisingly slow, but the kick (which was in fairness, quite a way back, though clearly not outside his range) was right in front of the posts – and O’Gara himself fancied it or he wouldn’t have put himself back into the pocket to take it.
Like you know what you are talking about ! Do you not remember sexton afraid to get into the box and take a drop goal – I do very well. OGara will always be remembered as the best no 10 Ireland ever had or ever will have – simple so you can understand!
Actually I do know what I’m talking about Elrat. I’m talking about Ronan O’Gara, not Jonathan Sexton. The subject matter is O’Gara. We are discussing O’Gara. The matter in question is the international future of O’Gara. Have I made is sufficiently clear yet Elrat, or would you like a nicely drawn venn diagram to further help to elucidate (it means “to make clear”) the issue?
Elrat – he didn’t just miss the kick. This isn’t a shot at goal that grazed the posts – he missed it by a country mile. Yes O’Gara’s contribution to Irish rugby is worthy of respect and note, but let’s not mince words here: O’Gara’s main staying point was his ability with the boot, and now that ability appears to have deserted him.
Furthermore – you have again failed to point out what anything Jonathan Sexton has or has not done, has to do with the issue. Sexton is injured and there is room on the boat for two outhalves – and O’Gara isn’t one of them. Please stop trying to make this into another pointless Leinster vs Munster pissing contest – because it isn’t and because the future of the national team is more important than these petty rivalries.
I have played rugby Elrat so assuming that you have too, the only thing to seperate us is the fact that I’ve never been dropped on my head in a tip tackle – or at least one can only assume this is the cause of your glaring myopia regarding Ronan O’Gara.
What a great player he still is at 36 . There is a difference between playing 10-20 mins off the bench . Its harder to get into the game and then its over . Seems to have lost his way and confidence is not high . Probably missing O’Connell in the squad and Is under pressure from Keatley in Munster . I think the IRFU should afford him some respect and let him make his own mind up which he tried to do after the Aussie World Cup match .
Kidney is a disgrace who needs someone to blame for his horribly narrow minded approach to the Irish role. He basically did an ‘Eddie O Sullivan’ on it and got pissed off when it didn’t work. He has to go. As a Munster and Ireland fan he has to either step aside or be brushed aside. O Gara has fought and won wars for the jersey. Kidney gave him a few minutes here and there. That’s no way to treat the greatest Irish player who ever put on the No. 10 jersey. It’s an outrage and shows not only a lack of class but a lack of respect on Kidneys part. I have lost all respect for the man at this stage. There are none as blind as those who cannot see.
this is a rubbish arguement. too bring in these two no.10′s against france is crazy….madigan onky up too rabo standard. same as jackson. as for sexton he never has done it at international level. he will goon the lions, but as wales dont know who their no. 10 is at the mo same with england, is it flood, farrell or burns and scotland with a poor no.10 then the gods are with this middeling international outhalf. as stuart barnes said during the autumn internationals ” johnny sexton, excellent club player, but struggles too step up to the international scene”
Any body considered the thought that O’Gara might have told Kidney he isn’t available??? Maybe, just maybe, (allegedly) O’Gara, like all great players, has read the writing on the wall & called it a day (internationally).
If Sexton isnt playing next week against France It is a bad move.
The question posed is, was Kidney right to axe O’Gara? Although Ronan’s best days are behind him,
I felt that he (Kidney) should have stuck With Rog until the end of the season as there are not too many No. 10s available to choose from (apart from Sexton) as Paddy Jackson proved in the game against Scotland.
I’ve seen ROG been written off a few times in the past. I’m not saying it’s likely but I wouldn’t put it entirely past ROG to play himself into contention again. His form in this 6 nations has been poor but who amongst that Irish squad has come out with their reputations enhanced this year? While not in full form by O Gara standards I really don’t think he has been that bad (barring that horrendous kick into midfield and who amongst that squad hasn’t this year?) If Kidneys plan was to blood new players this year then O Gara should never have been picked this 6 nations. They should have started with Madigan, sexton and Jackson in the squad against Wales at the start and put Keatley on standby.
RoG deserves better! Plain as that. He should have started against Scotland and we would have won. Then keep faith wit RoG and start him against France. Allow RoG to finish his International career in a better style, a style in which we had become accustomed to from RoG. If nothing else he was at least owed this?
O’Gara should have had the foresight to leave when he wanted to and not drag his career on past it’s natural end. His tantrum during the WC cast a cloud over his reputation and now this adds to the feeling of a player hanging on past his prime (well past). Seeing him try to kick a ball to his centre inside his own half was a little bit sad. But he has been a wonderful player for Ireland giving us all some fantastic memories. Kidney has now shafted two of Ireland’s most gifted and successful players. He will lose the dressing room soon and that’ll be the end of him.
Ronan O Gara has been a fantastic player with Ireland and Munster. However he could not tackle a wet paper bag. he was perfect for a dominant Munster pack. Place kicking and goal kicking probably won’t be bettered.
Petulant lad and never accepted Sexton. Always thought he was better. Sulked a lot. And made a terrible mistake in the last few minutes of the final Lions test.
He gave everything but Father Time has caught up with him.
Often with these Rugby threads, as I read down through the comments there’s so much tripe spouted that I want to argue/comment on, my head is so mashed that by the time I get to here…. I just couldn’t be bothered!
Sometimes I wish for the good old days of rugby back when Ed. van Es.’s was the only opinion worth listening to…
U commented without reading the article says a lot
Reminds me of that time in the Matrix when Switch was kneeling over Apoc’s body, looked at Trinners on the phone and said “Not like this, not like this” and died on the spot. Damn you Cypher, I mean Kidney. [uncanny resemblence]
A cruel cruel fate I seys.
Was Declan Kidney right to axe Ronan O’Gara?
This depends on the view. That being the long term or the short term view.
In the short term that will be answered in the remaining 2 games of the six nations, and depens on the 2 1/2 number 10′s we have available. I would only count on Sexton be 1/2 available for the remaining games.
Taking the long term view, then yes Kidney was right, for Ronan will not be available for the next world cup and that should be the long term goal at this moment in time.
Ronan was all about the bling, he thought he was bigger than the rest of the team, shame. He had talent sometimes.
You’re obviously highly intelligent and classy kind of fellow with a well thought out comment like that Richard but I’m afraid you’re wrong. I didn’t in fact read the article. I specifically made my comment as I don’t like rugby and don’t care about the game. I do believe that this website is designed so that people can voice an opinion on different matters and in general there is class shown by contributors when someone has a differing opinion. You keep it up and stay different from the rest though. As they say “there’s always one”. Thanks Richard.
Is this the point I’m supposed to hold my head in my hands and realise in horror that I’m a terrible person because you now claim you have learning difficulties? You’re the one who came on and called me a spa because you seemed to take it personally that I don’t like rugby. I’ve seen people comment negatively on the journal’s “nostalgia pieces” and question their place as news pieces. Even though I may strongly disagree with the contributors opinion and press the red thumb I certainly don’t go calling them derogatory names (that in fact demeans people with a certain type of disability). With regards to your voter comment just because someone doesn’t vote doesn’t take away their right to talk about politics. You seem to think that I know you from other comments you’ve made on the journal (which I don’t) so ill presume the same of you. I stated on a previous piece that I am seriously considering using my democratic right to NOT VOTE at the next election as I do not believe that Irish politicians actually have a say in our affairs. That decision, if I make it , will certainly not disentitle me to make comments on politics or politicians as my potential non voting will be an informed educated decision.
Oh sorry. It’s red tartan belted shorts you like on your profile. Brilliant. !!
I commented on a headline and asked who gave a sh1t. You then weighed in and called not alone me but at least one other contributor a spa? Lets just leave it at that Richard because to be honest I’ve wasted enough time entertaining someone like you…
You must be delighted. Richard I can assure you that you didn’t offend me do much as let yourself down by calling Two people spa’s and one person a clown on a discussion forum. There’s other ways to show your disagreement. With regards to the Waterford scooter club and red tartan belts you’d want to take a look at your profile if you don’t know what I’m talking about because you have both those “funny” interests there on it for all to see..
Fair enough Richard.. Sorry it’s hard to know who’s trolling on this at times and from my comment you probably had good reason to think I was trolling myself. I wasn’t though. it was an off the cuff remark:) that is on your profile though:) thanks Richard.. Goodnight:)
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