News

O’Gara suffers injury setback

RonanOGaraScoSB11
Ireland record point scorer Ronan O’Gara faces a race against time to be fit for the World Cup, but he insists he hasn’t given up on dislodging Heineken Cup hero Jonathan Sexton.

Ireland record point scorer Ronan O’Gara faces a race against time to be fit for the World Cup, but he insists he hasn’t given up on dislodging Heineken Cup hero Jonathan Sexton.

O’Gara and Sexton shared starting duties during the RBS 6 Nations, with the Munster veteran getting the nod against Scotland and Wales.

But after Sexton’s match-winning performances against England, and then for Leinster against Northampton, O’Gara has it all do to force himself back into contention.

And a calf tear suffered during a World Cup training camp at the start of the month has set him back even further.

“I hurt myself on the last day in Carton House,” O’Gara told the Irish Independent.

“I tore my calf running. I just pushed the body so hard in the first week that I got a bit of a twinge.

“I’m nearly back, but I haven’t done much running for the last 10 days. I’m playing catch-up; most definitely the lads are ahead of me. They will have had four heavy fitness sessions on me and the sessions look really hard, so I’ll have to make that up. But I wouldn’t give too much thought to something like that.

“There is the jersey up for grabs, and there are two of us fighting for it,” O’Gara added.

“I couldn’t be happier with the way things are going. I’ll be looking to make an impact and that is the bottom line.

“What sport has told me is it’s very rare that I don’t have an impact in games and I’ve got to be ready for that. There will, hopefully, come a time in the World Cup that I’m needed, whether it is to start games or come on and win games. It’s all to play for. It just makes the debate more appealing to everyone at this stage.”