'I've given the lads a selection headache' - Jack O'Donoghue hungry for more after making Munster return
Yet after two months on the sidelines, he wasted little time taking his opportunity and there is still plenty of pent-up energy waiting to be unleased over in Cardiff on Friday night.
An ankle injury against Scarlets in mid-February cost O'Donoghue six weeks of the season but the 31-year-old had to wait patiently for another four weeks before he could pull on a red jersey again and represent his province.
It should have been an return to action off the bench after he was named among the replacements for last Saturday's URC clash with the Bulls at Thomond Park, but a tight hamstring felt by Peter O'Mahony during the warm-up saw O'Donoghue promoted to the starting line-up and the Waterford native was delighted to get through the whole match without any adverse effects, other than the 16-13 home defeat.
'I hadn't played in a while and going 80 minutes, it was a really physical game and I felt every bit of that on Sunday,' O'Donoghue told the Irish Examiner.
Read More
Gavin Coombes: Munster still in title hunt despite Bulls defeat
'That gave me a lot of confidence personally, I ended up in the deep end, didn't even have time to think about it, it was just sink or swim and once you get that first bit of contact under your belt, you're in the game and flying it.
'I'd grabbed my bib and was planning on sitting on the bench and all of a sudden I'm told I'm starting. That was literally it but I've been chomping at the bit to get out there.
'I was really disappointed not to be involved in the La Rochelle and Bordeaux games so I was itching for an opportunity. I was incredibly hungry, I pushed myself really hard to get back fit and in contention for those European Cup games but the lads were going really well, the team was going really well so I knew I'd have to bide my time and wait for an opportunity.
'Unfortunately for Pete and lucky for me that came on Saturday and I was able to put in a performance that I'm proud of and will give the lads a selection headache this week.
"I was happy to get 80 minutes under my belt, that fills me with confidence going into the next game that I'm getting back to match fitness.'
There will be decisions to be made by the Munster decision-makers ahead of Thursday's team announcement for the trip to the Arms Park, when two rivals for play-off spots put their seasons on the line.
O'Mahony is expected to be back in the mix, as are another back-rower Gavin Coombes, wing Calvin Nash and scrum-half Craig Casey, who was another late withdrawal last Saturday due to illness.
Munster need all hands on deck following the Bulls defeat and O'Donoghue was not shying away from the importance of the remaining three games of the regular season with his team lying seventh and needing a top-eight finish to make the play-offs as well as qualify for the Champions Cup in 2025-26.
'It's massive in terms of the league table, getting a bit of confidence back for us. Coming off a two-game losing streak isn't easy, and Cardiff are going well, they had a great day out in the Principality and they're home and they're buzzing.
'Saw comments from their coaches during the week about the opportunity to get into the play-off spots and they're going to be coming all guns blazing, and we're going into their back garden to try and cause an upset.
'Every game you'd treat it like a cup final, you're either qualified or you're completely out of it. A win is almost like an eight- or 10-point swing, depending on who wins, and that's massive in terms of that middle table. Leinster, the Bulls and Glasgow are already qualified but there's five more spots there that are up for grabs and every point counts.
'Every point matters now and it's about just getting four points this weekend and if you get an extra point that's great, but it it's very much about getting a win this weekend, taking some time off the next week to regroup and then we go at it again.
'It's a two-game block and then another two-game block so easy to prepare yourself for mentally, you know, give it two weeks of hell, then get some time down and then you'll be able to go again. So leave it all out there on Friday night.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Inside Kerry star David Clifford's life with girlfriend Shauna and son Óigí
David Clifford exploded onto the intercounty stage in 2018. Since his Kerry debut, he's been hailed as "a once in a generation" talent, with his abilities drawing comparisons to global icons like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan. These accolades and his on-field achievements, including one All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, five Munster titles and three National Leagues, mean everything to the 26 year old – yet he stays humble and down-to-earth. He also claimed Young Footballer of the Year in 2018 and Footballer of the Year in 2022 and 2023. Earlier this year, Clifford spoke to our colleagues at RSVP Magazine to discuss his life off the field with his partner and son. A viral photograph captured you with Kerry performance coach Tony Griffin following the All-Ireland Football Final defeat to Dublin. Can you recall how you felt in that moment? There was a lot of disappointment and regret, I suppose. Croke Park is the best place to be when you win and the worst place to be when you lose. To have somebody like Tony and to have such close friends on the team shows how lucky you are. You survive through the bad days together. You must move on from it too, your life can't revolve around whether you win or lose a game. It would make for a long career for you, because you're going to have more losses than wins. Is it hard not to overthink things? We're all guilty of that. You need to be well settled off the field and have plenty going on away from sport. It's very easy to think about football all the time, but then there would be no enjoyment in it anymore. Off the field, for you, is it hard to get the balance right? It can be at times. The people around us make a lot of sacrifices so we can go out and train so many evenings a week. I try to be settled and relaxed, and I try to enjoy my life as much as I can. That allows me to put everything into the game. Your son Óigí is nearly three now. Does he recognise you on TV and know what the green and gold jersey means? Yeah, he's gone mad for sport at the moment. He's wearing jerseys and he loves it. But he's not too happy with me going out training because I'm going to be gone for a couple of hours. He loves coming along with me to watch the Fossa games at the weekend. He's great craic. Does that add an extra level of enjoyment for you, seeing him loving it as well? I hadn't thought about it like that until you said it. He's also copying the celebrations of the soccer players he sees. He's getting to that age now where I've an extra reason to go out there and play. Óigí is clearly gearing up for the All-Ireland! The structure of the championship has changed. The national league, provincial championship, round robin series and knock-out games are condensed into the first seven months of the year. How are you finding it? When you're stuck in the middle of it and you're going to work, training and matches, you don't think about that kind of stuff. It's great to have games and the structure at the moment is great because you've got a game, then a week off and then another game. You're recovering for a week and then preparing for a week. The four or five week gaps in the old system used to be long. I like that element of it. We're getting a lot of good competitive games, and there's very few negatives to that. Kildare legend Johnny Doyle won a club championship at 45 years old last year. Would you like to do something similar? It's hard to know. I want to play for as long as I can anyway. The day you're inside in the full-forward line and some young fella beats you out to the first couple of balls, that's probably when it's time to move on [laughs]. There has been talk of a return to September All-Ireland finals again. What do you think of that? I'm very happy with the split season. From a selfish point of view, as a teacher anyway. Nobody wants to hear about teachers and their holidays, but we get to have a month of summer holidays after the All-Ireland. That's very enjoyable, being able to go away. On the other side of it, when I was in primary school the build-up to an All-Ireland final in September was brilliant. There are pros and cons. What's your own schedule like? Much has been made about how busy you are with Fossa, East Kerry and Kerry. We're very lucky with our three managers, there's no problem if we need breaks here and there. We're conscious that winning doesn't last forever. East Kerry hadn't won the county championship for 20 years and Fossa has never won the junior. We have to milk it while we have it. It's important to get the breaks as well. It's not just tough physically, it's mentally draining as well. You have to deal with the highs and lows and the build-up to games. How do you deal with the pressure of being David Clifford in a football-mad county? The main thing is trying not to think about it like that. I have different targets for myself or different targets for the team. You always hear [Manchester City manager] Pep Guardiola saying that having targets takes the emotion out of the game. As boring as it sounds, that tends to work a lot of the time. You're big into other sports and you're a Celtic fan. How important is that, having interests away from GAA? That's my approach anyway, I try to have interests in other things. For other people, their interests may not be sports. At the moment, it's impossible to keep up with all the sports. You'd nearly want two or three TVs on the go [laughs]. You've been compared to Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan and been called a "once in a generation" talent. What's that like? There's an uncomfortable nature to it. I learned from my parents to be humble and not to appear arrogant. You don't want to be talking about yourself in that light, you want to let it brush off you. The Pittsburgh Steelers were in Dublin last April. Would you ever try your hand at playing in the NFL? It hasn't really crossed my mind. I'm a relatively safe person in that I'm settled in a job and settled in life. To turn that upside down to try something new isn't something that would appeal to me too much. It's class to see the Irish players that have joined the NFL. We're looking forward to seeing if some of them can get on the pitch. How does it feel to be settled so young? You've made your career in football at an early age, you've a child and a good job. Maybe it will all turn upside down at some stage [jokes]. It's fine, that's just the way things have happened for me. Things fell into place nicely. I'm far from perfect, let that be known. I enjoy life and I feel like I've a great life. I'm very lucky with the people I have around me. You were one of the youngest players when you joined the Kerry panel in 2018 and six years on you're one of the most experienced in the dressing room. It's hard to believe. A lot of us came into the panel together in 2018 and 2019, so we've gone through the years together. Without even noticing it, we've had some incredible life experiences with trips away and big wins and defeats. Every year before you commit to another season you have to make sure you're still enjoying it – thankfully, I still am. Your brother Paudie is team captain this year, what's that like? It's much the same as before. Paudie and I don't spend too much time talking about football together, but we do spend a lot of time together in general whether it's golfing or being around our same circle of friends. Him being captain is great for Fossa too. If you finished your career with one All-Ireland win, how would you accept that? You'd like to win the All-Ireland every year, but that's not the reality of it. If I was to retire I wouldn't be going around telling people that I've an All-Ireland medal or don't have an All-Ireland medal. While they're great to win and you do everything in your power to win them, you just have to get over it. Hopefully, that won't be the case! David Clifford of Kerry celebrates his goal (Image: ©INPHO/James Lawlor)
Extra.ie
14 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Ronan O'Gara splattered on by seagull mid-punditry
This is the moment former rugby international Ronan O'Gara had a bird poop on him while he was on live punditry duties in Melbourne, Australia. It is considered a sign of good luck, whether the person targeted feels that way is another story, but the 48-year-old took the unfortunate act in his stride. Ronan was working as a pundit during the Australia versus British and Irish Lions Second Test series, which saw Andy Farrell's British & Irish Lions victorious on a score of 29 to 26. Pic: Sky Sports The Aussies led for the majority of the match with the final play of the game seeing Hugo Keenan score a try to put the Lions in front for the first time — ending the game on a win. While the Wallabies have one last attempt at victory next week, Ronan won't be on duty for Sky with the rugby star returning to La Rochelle this weekend. The former fly-half got a heartwarming send-off from his Sky colleagues with even the seagulls getting in on the action. @skysports Good luck? Bad luck? Ronan O'Gara was given a 'gift' from the Melbourne seagulls, live on air, following the Lions' series victory 😅 #lions2025 #lionstour #britishandirishlions #lions #rugby #rugbyunion ♬ original sound – Sky Sports Presenter Alex Payne was mid-question when the hilarious moment ensure, with Will Greenwood quick to point out that a 'bid just pooed on Ronan!' Laughing it off, the Cork man turned to fans to point out that his shoe had been his as well as the arm of his jacket. As being caught by a bird pooing is a sign of good luck former English rugby star Will foretold that La Rochelle would win the European Cup as well as the Top 14, much to Ronan's delight. The Aussies led for the majority of the match with the final play of the game seeing Hugo Kennan score a try to put the Lions in front for the first time — ending the game on a win. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie The hilarious moment was shared via TikTok with Sky Sports writing: 'Good luck? Bad luck? Ronan O'Gara was given a 'gift' from the Melbourne seagulls, live on air, following the Lions' series victory.' Social media users took to the comments to express their delight at the 'wild moment.' One said: 'That's one wild moment! Can't believe he got that gift live on air.' Another added: 'Can't believe the seagulls helped Ronan O'Gara like that! Talk about lucky timing!' A third hit out: 'Normally it comes out of his mouth.'
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
Irish rugby legend Ronan O'Gara gets POOED ON live on Sky Sports after Lions' epic comeback win over Australia
RONAN O'GARA was given an unwelcome gift by a bird while LIVE on air. Irish rugby legend O'Gara was working as a pundit for Sky Sports during the Advertisement 5 Ronan O'Gara was pooed on by a viewer flying by 5 Will Greenwood pointed out the new coat decoration on his arm 5 The poo landed on his left arm 5 Fans and the rest of the panel had a laugh at the 48-year-old's expense 5 O'Gara had a stunned reaction as he tried to find the white spot However, a winged viewer flying by decided that the 48-year-old's coat needed some extra decoration. And while he stood alongside colleagues discussing Hugo Keenan's last-gasp winning try, Will Greenwood spotted that O'Gara had been POOED on. He said: "Oh a bird has just pooed on Ronan." The group then shared a laugh at O'Gara's expense as he frantically tried to find where Greenwood had pointed it out. Advertisement READ MORE IN RUGBY A voice can then be heard saying: "That's lucky for some but not for Ronan." Fans behind the panel also poked fun at O'Gara for the unfortunate incident. Greenwood then adds: "La Rochelle are going to win the European Cup." O'Gara eventually laughs off the incident, though we expect his coat to receive some TLC to remove the poo. Advertisement Most read in Rugby Union Breaking BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK And while the unusual present might not be seen as too lucky by O'Gara, the Lions certainly did find some luck in their match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. They moved 2-0 over Australia in the series, but only after coming back from 26-17 down in the 53rd minute. Australia 26 British and Irish Lions 29- Historic Test series whitewash on the cards as Lions complete epic comeback Keenan's late winner has now set the scene for a potential clean sweep when the sides clash again at the weekend. Advertisement
