Proud.

Ronan O’Gara has hailed what Joe Schmidt, the IRFU and the players have done with Irish Rugby in the last 12 months following an incredible run of success for the number two ranked team in the world.

In 2018 Ireland won a Six Nations Grand Slam, a series in Australia for the first time in nearly 40 years, as well as a first ever home win over the All Blacks as part of a November clean sweep.

“The fatigue levels at 80 minutes in a Test match, heart going 180 to 200 beats a minute…it’s a fair achievement,” O’Gara told Virgin Media

“A fair achievement? That could be the understatement of the season!”

As for Schmidt, who will step down as Ireland boss following the Rugby World Cup in Japan, O’Gara is a keen admirer.

“What the IRFU and the boys are doing now would make you very proud to be Irish,” O’Gara continued.

“We haven’t seen anything like him – that’s the great thing about it.”

“He’s come in, he knows what world class is and he realises that he has a group of players who are world class. And then he convinces his players of that.”