True to one of the guiding, inspirational lights in his sporting career, Roy Keane, Ronan O'Gara has increasingly adopted high standards in latter years. Now that Ireland have suddenly fallen below the goals they set for themselves last season and before, he is patently none too happy about it, writes Gerry Thornley
As with other players in this Irish team, he hasn't scaled the heights of last season - when he was the top try scorer in the Six Nations - and as has often been the case with O'Gara, Ireland's all-time record points scorer initially struggled to adapt to the new Gilbert ball designed for this World Cup.
Ireland's kicking coach also revealed they only received the new balls the Friday before the first game but having missed three from six against Namibia he landed both conversions in a two-from-three effort against Georgia. The value of the first of those especially, proved surprisingly critical as it meant the Georgians were never within a kick of winning the match in that tortuous last 25 minutes.
An angry outburst aimed at Ulster scrumhalf Isaac Boss late in the game, taken in tandem with Brian O'Driscoll's fusillade at Peter Stringer following the latter's intercepted pass for the Georgian try, was indicative of their frustrations. However, speaking to a number of journalists during Monday's media day, he rejected a question put to him that his demeanour on the pitch suggested he was troubled and cranky.
"It's 100 per cent inaccurate to say I'm struggling," he said. "People may say my body language isn't like normal but that's the opinion of individuals. There are all kind of rumours going around that I'm troubled, cranky and there's lots of fighting going on - but that's all b******t.
"I care so much about our performance in the team. Maybe I'm a little bit negative talking to the press but when I get on the pitch I'm excited, I enjoy it and I realise what people would give to wear the green number 10 shirt. When you see me barking at fellas it doesn't mean anything," added O'Gara.
"That's my natural competitive game. I never play with a smile on my face. But ask the forwards, ask the centres - they know me well enough at this stage to see that it's the same person that always is and always will be."
Of all the sports' saying that he has read, he recently said that none resonated more with him than the Jimmy Connors' mantra "I hate losing more than I love winning", and that will assuredly apply in what is shaping up to be a make-or-break game with the hosts tomorrow in Paris.
O'Gara started 52 Tests with his long-time Munster half-back partner Peter Stringer, a record bettered only by the remarkable George Gregan-Stephen Larkham alliance. Save for the last 26 minutes in Bayonne, O'Gara will team up for the first time with former Munster scrumhalf Eoin Reddan in the Stade de France, but O'Gara played down the significance of this on Monday.
"My view is that sometimes the half-back combination is overplayed," said O'Gara. "It sometimes suits people to talk about us as a pair but essentially it's not like that. I don't think it will be any different. On two Lions tours I played with different scrumhalves and gelled quite quickly, so that isn't an issue for me at all. I'd like to be judged on how I perform, not on how well the half-backs perform. Obviously it's up to the individual to get it right. I don't look upon it as a risk. Eoin is a good quality player. He's been exceptional for Wasps and deserves his chance."
The odds on Ireland ending a five-match losing
streak against the French and recording only a second win in 35 years in the French capital have lengthened with each passing week, making them 14 to 1 underdogs, with France 1 to 6.
"It's a huge game. We're fully aware of what's at stake. Hopefully it's the game that will kick-start our campaign," said O'Gara.
"If it doesn't then the likelihood is we'll be heading home. We owe ourselves a big performance. The team has been shook up and a different side that has never played for Ireland will be taking the pitch on Friday. There are no fellas on the team who shouldn't be there. Eddie has the pick of whoever he wants every week.
"If I knew where things were going wrong I'd be happier within myself. Trying to find that out is not easy.
" Of course the team is hurting because it's been a disappointing few weeks but we can't be too down - there's nothing fatal at the moment. We should be excited by this challenge."
