O'Gara has held off the challenge of Jonathan Sexton, who is close to a full recovery from a dead leg, to retain the number 10 jersey for the RBS 6 Nations title showdown in Paris. The 32-year-old, who has been in impressive form for Munster this season, combined with a flawless 16-point haul in last Saturday's 29-11 victory over Italy, has been offered the chance to re-establish himself.

"If you're going to be consistently around for 10 years and treading such a tightrope in games you're going to experience both sides of the coin," he said. "If you want to succeed, keep coming back and be selected for your country - and I'm lucky to be making my 95th appearance on Saturday - you have to be good at a lot of things."

He added: "But more than anything you must be good at dealing with disappointment and the mental side of the game because at fly-half you're the hero or you get slated.

"Some people can't handle that mentally but that's been a strong trait of mine. I can take the rough times, and by God there have been some rough times.

"You just have to dig in, believe in yourself and keep coming back for more.

"Sometimes it hasn't been easy but it makes you appreciate the great days so much more."

For six years O'Gara had been the automatic choice at fly-half and among the first three names on the teamsheet, so his removal to the bench last November was a seismic event in Irish rugby.

The shockwaves subsided as Sexton landed five penalties to humble the world champion Springboks, but for O'Gara the soul searching had just begun.

"It hurts when you're dropped. It's very disappointing, especially when you care about the team so much," he said. "When it happens you try to see where you can make improvements. You look at yourself harder but usually you try to blame other people and not yourself. I think I've been playing well this season, though I didn't goalkick well."