Ronan O’Gara on Paul O’Connell’s future – ‘Toulon usually get their man’

Il peut revenir à Thomond un jour

Watching Ronan O'Gara's punditry during the Six Nations made us long for the boy from the banks of the Lee to come home into the warm bosom of Irish rugby.

O'Gara is currently coaching at Racing Metro, but with his buddy Johny Sexton saying au revoir to Paris this summer, there has been speculation about the former Munster man's future.

O'Gara is contracted to stay at the French side until the end of the 2016 season, but speaking at a Waterford Local Radio breakfast event on Wednesday, he told host Paul Nolan that he could one day be tempted back to Ireland if he got the right phone call.

'For me, there is no long term plan per se. I am under contract until the end of 2016. Of course, anything can change with a phone call, but if I didn’t like Racing, I’d leave. As much as I love Cork, I had to get away to get a better perspective of rugby. I have an idea of where I want to go but it's not Waterford for breakfast anyway.'

The Racing Metro kicking coach also gave his thoughts on speculation linking Paul O'Connell with a move to France.

The interview was conducted just hours before O'Connell revealed that he is 90% sure about whether he will continue playing after this autumn's World Cup. O'Gara feels it would be a huge decision for the Ireland captain to ever leave

'He has massive pride in representing Munster, and that will never leave him and I genuinely don’t think he will go to France.'

'But for someone like him, Toulon, or whoever, are going to make it very difficult for Paul to resist them because they will do whatever it takes when they headhunt a player. They usually get their man, whether it’s an All Black, a Springbok. People say his body is creaking, but not for Top 14, where he could easily play, with management, another three seasons.'

H/t to Irish Examiner and you can watch the full interview here