Friday Funnies - Ronan O'Gara stars in 'Knocked Down'

Nice vid, but you should have added the hit on du Preez at the end of the second Lion's test against South Africa.

Lol ROG. Testament to the rest of his game really. Probably the worst defensive 10 in top flight but still awarded best European player of the past 15 years. I'm waiting for a joke from SH fans now regarding standard of NH. Anyway, nice vid.
:D

You cant fault his attitude. Deserves to be in the best squad of the last 15 years. Doormat oh god yes.....but hats off to rog!

Peppa

Shit defender, but still one of my favorite number 10's out there.

LMAO, poor Ronan O'Doormat. He never did have a good tackling technique, and I know the fact that he's one of the lightest rugby players at international level doesn't help at all either.

surprised there was no video clips form the 09 wales match. Ronan spent the whole match being pummelled by the welsh forwards.
Also why not show, Fourie running through O'Gara to score in the 2nd test of the lions tour?

Well I'll definitely never understand how that guy has been able to play at such a high level with such poor defense skills...
I use to call him "the saloon door" :D

its true.. he's a shit defender, but you have to admit, he's a damn good kicker and he organizes the game really well

Any loose forward that has played a competitive side has had the flyhalf tell them "I don't want to try and take that man down by myself... don't let them get to me!"
Forwards do the job so the fly can do theres.
I case of emergency flyhalf may need to tackle. lol

'ang on a minute... Isn't anyone going to point out that he never executed a wrap in any of those "Tackles" ?

I was expecting to see a load of rubbish about how crap he is when I clicked this link but I'm surprised. Most people acknowledge the greatness of the rest of his game and his mentality. Nice to see for once!

one of greatest no. 10's in world of the last 10 years, if not ever

But also one of the worst tacklers

Poor ROG! Don't know if this is great watching if he's ever seen it! But that's commitment for ya. Always gets back up! Ya don't have to put in a big hit to be tough.

i think this video is absolutely riddiculous. to highlight one flaw in a man who has had an unblemished career i mean 4 heineken cup finals, a grand slam and 3 lions tours player of the heineken cup and top points scorer in 6 nations history says it all. considering the fact that rugbydump recently posted a tribute to percy montgomery a man who wasnt famed for his fiercesome tackling yet was an unbelievable goal kicker. if your going to point out flaws why not shane williams ability to tackle ghosts rather than players, ANY flaw to do with steve borthwick?? not only that but give me one team in the 6 nations over last few years who wouldnt have ronan o gara in their side? the fact of the matter is if brian o driscoll and paul o connell hadnt picked up a rugbyball, o gara would have been praised to the hill, and on a sidenote johnaton sexton will never be ronan o gara

You hit the nail on the head Paul grimley. Very disapointing vid, whats d story with the repeat of him when he was giving interview? Were you tryna point out the fact that he licks his lips a lot? well done your a hero, I'm sure you'd make a better fist at tackling 18 stone forwards and wingers with quick feet then ROG would and afterwards you would get up, dust yourself off and take control of a game and kick pressure penalties, na ya probably wouldn't though cos your too busy hiding behind a keyboard somewhere

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG9jtYK4Sew

Just a little riposte there.....

ROG's class in all other facets of the game.

I agree with everything Paul says...apart from the Sexton thing. Hw can people rubbish such a young player ?

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young player? the man is 24 years old? listen if in 10 years sexton has acheved 75% of what o gara has then il take it back, but in my opinion just because you are handy at a wrap around which he is but still averages 60% of his goal attempts, ireland will be nowhere near a coveted semi final in new zealand

I really don't know how O'gara can be considered a great player.

There are some fundamental skills in rugby that you have to master and then the specialist skills for your position. tackling is a fundamental skill which ogara has totally failed at.
And as the number 10 he as to be a good playmaker, another thing he is terrible at. The O'Driscoll intercept highlights is creative ability nicely i think.

At best I would say O'gara is average. One of the great mysteries is why ireland only won 1 grand slam in the last ten years, particularly in the mid 00's. It's probably because O'Gara had a monopoly on that position for those 10 years

for Rog's defense: not a lot of current flyhalves are able to resist to Pierre Spies or Jamie Heaslip charges...everybody can't be a ferocious tackler as Wilkinson, Carter or James. Look at Brock James for Clermont, Contepomi for Agrentina, Flood for England, Trin-Duc for France... there are all poor defenders but they conpensate their weakness by other talents.

swissdunk
fair enough not everyone all tens are great tacklers but theres nothing wrong with contepomi or trin-ducs tackling and i dont think i've seen flood miss a 1-1 for england yet.

Come on..he's a flyhalf. It's traditionally the position where you put the guy who can't tackle!
...
Of course I'm just joking : ) O'Gara, like O'Connell and O'Driscoll, is a milestone for modern Irish rugby!
Hats down to the lad.

Jesus. Everything was going alright until some panty-twister Munster fans got upset. Then other people start saying ROG isn't a great player, etc. etc. it all goes to crap.

Most people had acknowledged ROG is great; why is the video disappointing? It's not out of context - it is the context...it's not like you can deny that he's a shit tackler.

I've always said that I think ROG is one of the best number 10's around (and he'll stay up there for years to come), but I don't have such a hard-on for the guy that I can't admit he sucks at tackling.

And yes, Mr. P, O'Gara is a great player. There's a reason he's had a "monopoly" as flyhalf - it's because he has been the best 10 Ireland has had to offer during that period.

*twisted

I do think RD is a shameful place sometimes, i too have yelled down living rooms when o'gara has blundered (as much as I do when scotland loses a game in the last minute!) but this video really highlighted this great 'little' guys effort!

I always held him with respect when watching, because is able to control the game so well, and miss passes to BOD in the international games (and the munster leinster games :p) have always been spot on, as well as his kicking....

But alas, i click on the video with the same, 'oh here we go again' thought...but was pleasantly surprised, big hits, but he gets up.

But as for my RD and shameful place, i am ofcourse referring to the comments.....

....dammit guys, its bad enough that the SH fans rip the shit out of you NH chaps, but to start bitching between you all....it was going great until half way ish....

DID THEY WATCH THE VIDEO?!? i mean, this guy was ofcourse having a little dig, but at the same time he was showing rog's worth....

sigh...RD fans can be worse than football fans sometimes!

Great video, great piece written by RD, and a MAJORITY of great comments! :)

hear hear (u-p)rick! and nicely done conor, good ole fashioned piss-taking, hilarious!

Harsh video, hes a top player but we'll never forgive him for that second lions test.

Most over rated player ever. As is the case with any good Irish player.

It's not so much he's a shit defender, in that he can read lines well. The problem is he's a pussy, and thus doesn't make real attempts to tackle.

He stands there all scared in the toilet seat position just waiting to be bumped off.

WHERES THE ONE WHERE JAQUE FOURIE SMASHES HIM AND SCORES THE WINNING TRY AGAINST THE LIONS

Is it me or Ronan O'Doormat was utterly rammed by big man shane williams? He finally meets a mand his size or lighter and gets thrown on his bottom with ease?


That said, RoG IS HUGE FLYHALF, one of the best. And all credit must be given to him for his "never give up, stay calm and keep organizing my side" atitude. The only problem is I get the feeling that despite being a big flyhalf, when he fails, he fails big, close to EPIC FAIL (i.e. Lions second test)

Still, cheers RD

Why was Jaque Fourie bumping him off not included?

Anonymous said...
Why was Jaque Fourie bumping him off not included?

Because it's July and "Jacque Fourie bumping him off" only gets included in months with an "r" in them.
Of course this rule is also part of the shameful international conspiracy against South African rugby.

He was born in america.

Best player of the last 15 years? Come on...

Lol, gg Ronan O'Gara

he should be on that mtv series "jack ass" lol

Paul Gormley, sensitive much? Try reading the write up properly, then watch the whole video.

Sure he's a good player, but he does have a tendency to get smashed to the floor like no other, hence the funny compilation.. which, from what I can tell, was made by a MUNSTER fan. So take a chill pill and realise that the whole video is a backhanded compliment to the man. Ie: We love him because he gets smashed, but keeps getting up. :)

Possibly the best video ever posted on RD! Fair play to the guy though, he keeps getting back up!

It's easy to knock someone. Crap video that smacks of biterness. What's the point in that? Really un- Rugby Dump like I thought.

re: clive "I've always said that I think ROG is one of the best number 10's around (and he'll stay up there for years to come), but I don't have such a hard-on for the guy that I can't admit he sucks at tackling."
you are exactly one of these people hiding behind a keyboard simon was referring to, you have completely missed my point being that its a lack of respect posting this video.

As people have said the other facets of his game really are world class. But i will never forgive him for the second test for the Lions, sorry, but there it is. Stephen Jones and many other northern hemisphere number 10's can tackle very well and still run the game well, at top level teams just exploit his weakness. I guess Ireland are now turning to sexton

Come on, if 5ft 7 shane williams can run straight through him. his defense needs some work :D.

But still he's achieved a massive amount in the game, and he's a truly great player in so many ways. I just can't forgive him for that second test thats all. (sorry!)

Paul, two words for you - chill, pill.

to be fair, i think we'd all get "knocked down" when spies or jean deysel runs into you.

But then again shane williams handing him off.

then again, he's an international, im not. He seems to pretty much always get things right when crucial.

To those saying that he's tiny compared to those who knocked him over etc, there's plenty of top class international players who are smaller than him, but dont get knocked over like that. Matt Giteau for one.

Funny video. Fair play to him for soldiering on.

Munster fans, relax.

I think that (U-P)rick was on to something there.

Could someone give me the name of the song?? I like it very much .. Thanks !

The song is Tubthumping by Chumbawamba

Good natured slagging with a subtle hint of respect & positivity for the gutsy man they call ROG...nicely done Conor

Even shane williams made him look like a child!
STEP... BOOM

I love the way Shane adjusts his line to seek out the doormat

@Paul Gormley. Mate, relax. It's just a light-hearted dig...

You can see ROG is a product of the infancy of professionalism, never put on the weight and muscle that is a necessity in the modern game. A young player of his size turning professional would find it much more difficult to make it to international level today. Still one of the best fly-halfs the game has seen, despite crap tackling

Those questioning why he was named greatest European player of the last 15 years have to realise that he was named the greatest player of the European Rugby Cup of the last 15 years not the best player in all of Europe. No player has had such a massive impact on the Heineken cup as ROG. Players like Brian O'Driscoll, Yannick Jauzion etc are better rugby players but havnt had as much of an impact in the competition. That's all.

Good video. As has already been said a nice backhanded compliment

Mr. Gormley, as others have said, don't take the video too seriously. It's just a bit of fun. Yeah, we know the guy has won everyting in the game bar a world cup (where he is handicapped by playing for us, Ireland) and a Lions tour (where he was handicapped by playing for us, the Lions).

Re. his tackling - I think the reason he sucks is because he seems to have no aggression. This may be the flip-side of why he is the coolest guy on the park when decisions and kicks have to be made. It's one of those great rugby things where a strength can also be a weakness, or a weakness a strength. My favourite example of that is Peter Stringer, the little guy with the amazing passing, who NEVER makes a break...until, ten years into his pro career, he finally makes a break from the back of a scrum and scores the winning try in the European Cup final...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hgnYBXMGg0

I like rugby.

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ahah this is a more ironic view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlGeW5Sc4kM

Balzana - excellent :)

I'd say Back got up pretty slowly after THAT hit...*BAM*

This video is bang out of order. A disgrace

Haha, if by a disgrace you mean disgraceful tackling, then yes :)

funny video with great choice of song but for the people dissing him i doubt you could make those tackles, let alone kick like him

Ah Paul man calm down. I think it's a bit unfair putting that video up but it's light-hearted more than anything.

your obvious dislike of Sexton seems to be more rooted in prvincial lines than anything so I probably shouldn't have made a comment on it since some people will never like him regardless of how he does. He's still a few years off his peak. O'gara didn't hit his until he was 28 or 29

Shit...in all areas.

'Nuff said.

Also...sponsored by BT ? WTF !

could have been easy to criticise this video being against RoG, but regardless of defense he is the top european player for a reason, the only problem is that no one ever told him not to go high into the tackles, not at his weight...

So many people must be commenting on this video without firstly SEEING THE FRIGGING VIDEO, AND I MEAN ALL OF IT!!!!

and secondly without READING THE RD DESCRIPTION!

Do yourselves a favour and watch the whole video to the VERY END and read the description, i think you'll find there is a fond regard for ROG among many many people, and perhaps even the video maker!!!

Come on!! We all know he can't tackle but he at least tries.
This can't be worse than the vid of the crab walk that Yachvilli did a while back!!

Seriously how could a guy who's this much of a defensive liability, and who has almost no running game to speak of, be considered not only the best fly half in Europe, but the best player in Europe for the last 15 years?
Insanity or European players are terrible.

There are some fundamental skills in rugby that you have to master and then the specialist skills for your position. tackling is a fundamental skill which ogara has totally failed at.
And as the number 10 he as to be a good playmaker, another thing he is terrible at. The O'Driscoll intercept highlights is creative ability nicely i think.

At best I would say O'gara is average. One of the great mysteries is why ireland only won 1 grand slam in the last ten years, particularly in the mid 00's. It's probably because O'Gara had a monopoly on that position for those 10 years

Well, 10s are in general one of the weakest / worst tacklers on the field. Although ROG is particularly bad, most teams would allow for a slight chink in the chain at 10 and adjust their defenses accordingly.

And he is a good playmaker. He has great passing that often goes unnoticed. Can't remember which match, but recently for Ireland, I think Earls was on the sideline with another two players between Earls and ROG. Most people wouldn't pick the pass out, let alone get it. It needed to be inch perfect and ROG got it. The pass was perfectly flat, perpendicular to the sideline, so Earls could run on and score the try. Then there's his tactical kicking, chips, cross fields and grubbers.

And the BOD intercept is a bad example. The two have played together for years, not to mention Munster were humiliated, being the strong favourites.

-KG

Also, the guy has been torn apart both on and off the field by the media. I remember the French papers decided to go into his personal life just before Ireland played France. He still comes back for more though.

-KG

Sure, but he's very, very limited.
If there isn't a better fly half in europe, the Eruopean teams are in a hell of a lot of trouble.
He has zero running game and his defence is a bad joke.

No OGara-on-his-ass clip is complete without Jaque Fourie setting him down in the Lions series.

Incidentally, we have an OGara flyhalf clone in South Africa. We call him Willem de Waal.

Top player in European rubgy over the past 15 years, really? The guys generally been sat behind one of top forward packs in European rubgy for the past 15 years. If you can't perform as a 10 with those guys in front of you then you shouldn't be playing top flight rugby.

I'll grant that the guy has phenomenal accuracy with the boot, but that really has been his only international level skill. The way he's been spouting off regarding Sexton over past 12 months stinks of a bitter old man realising his days are over. Why he felt the need to go to the media about his silly little issues is beyond most people.

The final thing I never get is why he's always called up to Lions squads. Everytime he gets put in SH teams must be crossing their fingers he's on the starting 15, he's consistantly been a liability.

why are you critizing a rugby giant?

It's a shame

@Andrew

Not a criticism but an observation ..& an acknowledgement that ROG has guts

...It's a tribute to him (in an subtle way)

The video itself isn't great (plenty of terrible tackles could've made it), but the comments at the end make up for it.

Now to some of the comments here. ROG isn't the best player in Europe, but has been the stand out player in the HCup (which some don't seem to be able to grasp is what he was awarded. Nothing to do with Ire/6N/WCs etc). Over 1200 pts can't be by fluke, alot of it under incredible pressure. Just look at Munster's history in HCup to see that.

One of the things that has bugged me too is that some are saying if it wasn't for his kicking he wouldn't be international standard. The fact is, ROG is one of the best passers off both hands thats ever played the game. His off the cuff passes in broken play are hard to match (for Bowe's 2nd try v Scotland '08, Warrick's try v Treviso in Jan and so on). We all love seeing Quade Cooper's little skills, so why can't we recognise that ROG amoung others has those abilities too.

Also, for someone who can't run he has a pretty good try scoring rate. 14 in 99 caps. Considering he hasn't scored in 3 years that was was 14 in 70 caps at one stage. Only Carter and Giteau at 10 have better records (Contipomi has played the majority of his inter career at 12). Jones only has 8 in 90 caps.

Most of the clips in the video are recent enough. ROG never could tackle but in the last few seasons its been even more cringe worthy. He never hides though, which you get the impression some here think he does. Also, bar the Fourie miss (Bowe was there too), it never cost Munster or Ire games. Also, considering he's been targeted his whole career, bar the 2nd Lions test, the only time he ever came off from the treatment he recieved was Wasps in HC semi in '04.

I love the fact someone brings up the rough treatment he took from the Welsh forwards in '09 and forgets to mention the little fact that he dropped the winning goal in the 78th minute. Pretty sums up his whole career in a Nut shell.

His passing is adequate, nothing more.
If he was from Australia or New Zealand he wouldn't get within 100 miles of the international 10 shirt.
Not in a million years, he wouldn't even be considered good enough to start for a S14 side.

Tommy this isnt a argument about nothern or outhern hemisphere standards... which im guess you favour the SH, in that case release that RoG single handedly beat the boks with a try, penalty, drop goal and conversion on one day while he was ever present beating australia on many occassions.

have a bit of respect for the man, as the video shows he does get hammered but as was also stated he has rarely left the field for ireland or munster when we were in trouble, the only time i can remember him being taken off to injury was against WASPS,

Patron, you can't credit O'Gara with that try against the Boks. The whole world knows that Honiss sent Smit off to talk to his men, and then let O'Gara sneak over while no one was looking. That wasn't a try by normal rugby rules.

terrible vid!

re: katman, i cant believe your dragging the debate this way but what the whole world does know is that o gara ASKED the ref could he take a quick one and your always supposed to play to the whistle so stop your moaning and get the f*** over ourself

I like 'O Gara, He's great:)

If he's the best Europe has to offer at fly half, then no wonder the European countries struggle.

who is the best in europe so jono eh?

Not sure, Im know that if a guy like O'Gara was rated the best player in the S14 for the last 15 years I'd be very worried about the quality of fly-halves in the competition.

Crikey, Paul Gormley, you are a touchy fella. That wasn't moaning. I was simply pointing out a well known fact that you seem to have been sheltered from. O'Gara seems like a nice enough chap, and he plays a decent game. But that was no try. Deep down you know this.

he wasnt voted the best player over the last 15 years, there are many more players who would have won that award, he won it for having the most impact in europe over the last 15 years. no deep down i know that south africans moan about EVERYTHING, always have excuses, and it gets their goat that it was a perfectly legitimate try

Come on, Gormley. That's like asking a tennis umpire whether you're allowed to serve while your opponent is still seated on the side of the court, finishing his banana. And the umpire, incredibly, agreeing to it. Sure, you'll probably win the point. But is it really cool? Anyway, I was just having some fun in flogging that dead horse, but fun doesn't appear to feature big in your world.

a dead horse? man the horse is not only dead is well decomposed! i can understand where your coming from but the fact of the matter is the ref allowed it so fair play to rog for trying it, if the boot was on the other foot i doubt you would be complaining

Gormley, the ref, Paul Honiss, said to John Smit - and I quote - "Next time someone will be off, it will not be a penalty. Go talk to your players." Smit followed his instructions, and while his back was turned, O'Gara took the quick tap and scored.

It was the games only try, and Ireland won 17-12.

I certainly wouldn't give O'Gara ANY credit for that, and I find it insulting that you have a go at a team or country for being unhappy about it.

thats not disclosing all material, if your going to quote someone put in context, o gara was lining up to kick a penalty which is why smith went into a huddle but o gara CLEARLY says to the referee on rte television, " can i take a quick one" so again the mere fact that the referee had no qualms whatsoever in leting rog take a quick one is what riles you, south africa were not cheated out of the match by ronan o gara but by the referee, but come on the fuck it was 5 years ago, yev won a world cup and 2 tri nations since get over it

Gormley, you dredged this shit up by crediting O'Gara in your post with the world's first unopposed (as instructed by the referee) try.

Yes, it was a referee error, but why would O'Gara go for it when he can see a side has their back turned?

Regardless, the point is that it's nothing to be proud of.

The anger was towards the ref though, yes.

I vaguely remember the irish fans complaining about a welsh try that came from a quick line out that should never have been. paul gormley, i suggest that you go back to your garden, theres a leprichorn nicking your spuds.