FORMER CLONTARF SCRUM-HALF James Hart believes he can learn a lot from Ronan O’Gara and Dan Carter after making the move to Top 14 champions Racing 92.
Hart, an accomplished goal-kicker, said there were no discussions with any of the Irish provinces when he decided to join Racing 92 on a three-year deal.
He impressed on his debut on Saturday night, partnering Carter in the opening game of the Top 14 but a good defensive display was not enough to prevent a 15-9 loss to Ian Madigan and Bordeaux-Begles.
It was his first competitive outing partnering Carter and Hart believes he can learn a lot from him.
“He talks a lot, he’s very knowledgeable and he’s really good to work with. Just sometimes in games it is difficult to get it going and that’s the way it was against Bordeaux.
I can learn a lot from them, not just between Dan and Rog. Everywhere you look across the club there are internationals. You get tips off them, see how they train and do things and the last few weeks have been pure enjoyment working with them.
“I’m looking forward to it. I just want to keep developing as a player, keep improving and go from there.”
The 25-year old moved to Grenoble after being omitted from the Leinster academy and burst on the scene three years ago with a string of top class performances in the Top 14.
Injuries disrupted his campaign last season but he is now looking forward to the next phase of his career with the Top 14 champions.
“We are only back three weeks. It has been a short pre-season but I’ve settled in well. Everyone in the club has been fantastic since I arrived. We had a couple of warm-up games but nothing to the intensity of the Bordeaux match, so we are looking to improve on that right away.”
It’s his first time working with O’Gara and he believes there is a lot he can learn from the former Irish international.
“He works a lot on defence and he brings great energy to that department. Our defence was excellent against Bordeaux. Any bit of advice he can give me he does, it’s a massive plus to have him there,” added Hart.
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