It’s probably one of the loveliest traits of being human that we never really get caught up on.
The idea that great men want to sacrifice themselves for the good of others, there’s something so simple and so beautiful in that.
Even some of the best players who’ve reached some of the highest highs, there’s an innate selflessness there where they’ll do what it takes for the cause and for the common goal. They won’t get to accomplish that goal for themselves anymore but it’s perhaps an even bigger thrill paving the way for others to do it.
Nothing could be as fulfilling as having a vision, having conviction to follow through and convince others to come with you, and shaping a group into a way of life and way of playing that you believed could make them winners. And then they win.
So, even for the professional players who can be daunted by what comes next, even for all those people who think they’ve peaked at such a young age, there’s more to come.
Ronan O’Gara is seeing it first hand in New Zealand all over again.
“I enjoy playing but that’s a long time ago now and I’m fascinated with the whole coaching side,” he told the press at a Crusaders open training event.
“I never thought you’d get the same buzz – or even, potentially, a better buzz – out of coaching when you can see your ideas rubbing off on the 15 players on the pitch.”
O’Gara joins as assistant coach having uprooted from France and started all over again. His stature, his words and, yes, his vision, are as captivating to the Kiwis as they are to the Irish.
In a report from Stuff.co.NZ, the New Zealand media already seem taken to the Corkonian.
They talk about his achievements, his rivalries and they talk about the commitment he has showed Crusaders by taking his wife and his kids – who are already fluent in French – from Racing and from Paris to come live on the other side of the world for a pay cut.
If those basic pieces of integrity weren’t enough to win over some of the locals, his honesty was.
“Ever since I was a kid, it’s been kind of a mythical club for me here. When I started playing at Munster, we looked a lot at the Crusaders in terms of their values and their culture.
“They had a big influence on Munster, a huge influence, and I knew all about this place but you never thought it would happen so soon.”
Soon, the Super League kicks back into action again with Crusaders playing their first game against the Chiefs on February 24.
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