MUNSTER OUT-HALF Ronan O’Gara has said he’ll retire at the end of the Rugby World Cup.
The player, who has 113 caps for his country and 1,039 test points, was speaking to RTÉ Sport.
He said, in an emotional interview, in reaction to Ireland’s 15-6 defeat of Australia yesterday:
“It’s massive, this is it for us. I’m done with Ireland in a few weeks. I’ve had a great time in this jersey but I want this to be the biggest time. It’s a great team, a great bunch of lads and it means a lot to us.”
However, the Belfast Telegraph reports that Ireland will seek to persuade the player to reconsider his decision.
Team manager Paul McNaughton said:
“Ronan hasn’t talked formally to us about it. There’s no doubt he still has something to offer the team after the World Cup.”
The 34-year-old has been involved with the international set-up for the past 11 years and has toured with the Lions on three occasions.
However, the player has been left out of the team in recent months, due to the emergence of Leinster out half Jonny Sexton, and was understood to have been disappointed at not being given a starting berth for yesterday’s game.
