We had a long debate on Newstalk Sport Saturday a couple of weeks ago about the our tendency to put our sporting legends out to pasture as soon as they reach a certain age.
The subject that day was Brian O'Driscoll and the conversation came from his own comment that week on Off The Ball that the media have been questioning him on retirement since he turned 30. Typically, the deposed captain went out that day in the Millennium Stadium and put on a masterclass, winning man of the match and setting off another deserved week of Drico accolades in the press.
This week, there are a few more questions being asked of our other legend of a certain age. With Jonny Sexton's hamstring tear, it looks very likely that Ronan O'Gara will make his first start for Ireland since the 2011 World Cup quarterfinal against Scotland in Murrayfield this weekend. In the nine days since Sexton's injury, calls have been getting louder and louder for his replacement to come from the younger crop of outhalves available to Declan Kidney (Paddy Jackson and Ian Madigan specifically) and for us to finally put ROG out to pasture.
It's fair to say O'Gara has never been as universally loved as O'Driscoll and there are many reasons for that. O'Driscoll is that class above, the man who transcends provincial loyalty, who does everything on the field to near perfection (except kicking!) and handles himself off the field with a likeability and media savvy. O'Gara doesn't have all those things. On the field, even at his very best, there were always serious worries about his defense. Off it, he can be sometimes abrasive and cranky, not the kind of behaviour that endears him to fans across provincial or national divides.
Likewise the situation now between O'Driscoll's possible imminent retirement and O'Gara's probable selection at out-half this Sunday is chalk and cheese. There are more genuine reasons than merely ageism that have caused people to call for O'Gara to be replaced. He is not playing well. He came on in the first half against England and did not perform. He didn't manage the game well or kick well, the two virtues we could rely on most from ROG. Similarly, for Munster, he's probably having his worst season ever, exemplified by his display against the Scarlets on Saturday night when he missed 3 of his 5 kicks at goal.
All that said, I genuinely don't think that Declan Kidney has a choice but to pick his 127 cap man for the Scotland game.
Paddy Jackson has played well at times for Ulster this season but he does this with the safety net of Ruan Pienaar playing alongside him. At this stage of his career, Conor Murray cannot offer than reassurance. In Jackson's biggest game, possibly his only outing which would approach test level, the Heineken Cup final last year, he struggled terribly. Throwing him into the 6 Nations for an away game beside a debutant number 12 (if Luke Marshall is selected) and an inexperienced scrum half is far too big a risk to take.
Ian Madigan is a slightly different situation. He's arguably the form out-half in the country now after Sexton. That said, he's done it only at Pro 12 level so far. He handled his step up to the Heineken Cup well but did it at full-back. Going from Rabo to a 6 Nations test match is a big step. Have we seen enough of Madigan to know he's ready? Something tells me he's the closest thing we have, but I really just don't know how good he is.
What you can say about Ronan O'Gara is that he has scored over 1000 points in test match rugby. He has shown he has the stones for the big occasion more than a few times through the years, including most memorably the Grand Slam in Wales.
He is supremely self-confident. Rightly or wrongly, O'Gara has always seen himself as the best out-half, not only in Ireland, but in the northern hemisphere and even, at a certain point, the world. That confidence gives us a man who always has something to prove. This hasn't always been a good thing. His recent brief appearances as a substitute for Sexton have shown him try too many things in too short a time, and that has cost us. This week however, knowing he's there from the start and that the team is relying on him without Sexton, you would imagine Ronan O'Gara has enough left in him to prove the doubters wrong just one more time.
Also, he knows the system. O'Gara has been there with Les Kiss and Declan Kidney from the start. There's already enough players learning the ropes this season and even this week.
Most of all, O'Gara has the experience. 127 caps. Say what you like, but that's not a small thing for an international out-half. The majority of what he does is make decisions. Jonny Sexton adjusted to international rugby remarkably quickly and even until the World Cup just over two years ago, there were still questions about his experience levels.
Certainly the case could be made that we shouldn't be in the position where Madigan and Jackson haven't had a chance to show what they've got. Bringing O'Gara to New Zealand last summer always seemed a little needless. Maybe if one of them had shined over there, things would be different now.
Trying out something new isn't a bad thing. I was surprised Kidney went with both Zebo and Gilroy for the Wales game and it worked out well. This is a strange situation though. I never remember an Ireland team without so many front line players. Against Scotland we will be missing Jonny Sexton, Tommy Bowe, Simon Zebo, Gordon D'arcy, Stephen Ferris, Chris Henry, Paul O'Connell, Mike McCarthy, Richardt Strauss and Cian Healy. From that 10, I see 7 starters and 3 strong bench players. For a team like Ireland, that is too much to be without. Is this really the game to blood a rookie out-half?
Of all the losses, Sexton's hits the hardest. He has established himself as by far the strongest number 10 in the country. He has raced ahead of ROG, no doubt. Maybe Jackson and Madigan will get there in time, but for now, we have no way of knowing. O'Gara has done it in the past, and there's enough flux in the team at the moment without ditching our most capped player at the same time.
The 6 Nations is not over. Scotland are dangerous, but no more than that. France have collapsed. England were impressive last Sunday, but were they "stroll-to-a-Grand-slam" impressive? I'm not so sure. Declan Kidney's contract is up this year. Four wins this spring is probably the only thing that keeps him in a job.
As we get closer to the team announcement, with the calls for Madigan and Jackson getting louder and louder in the media and on Twitter, and with Kidney's job on the line, maybe trusting the old warhorse and picking Ronan O'Gara at out-half is actually the gutsiest thing a manager can do.
Michael McCarthy is the producer of Newstalk Sport Saturday and Sunday
