O'Gara hits out at McRae ban
June 25, 2001

Ireland fly-half Ronan O'Gara has criticised the punishment meted out to Duncan McRae, the New South Wales fullback who punched his way into notoriety at the weekend.

O'Gara was left needing eight stitches in a horrific looking eye wound after the incident which led to McRae, a former Saracens player, being sent off and landed with a seven week ban.

After an IRB disciplinary hearing yesterday he offered a public apology to O'Gara, the Lions, his team mates and the 40,000 crowd that witnessed the attack in the second half against the Waratahs at the Sydney Football Stadium on Saturday.

But O'Gara said today that the ban was too short and he had not spoken to McRae directly, and did not really want to after the frenzied assault in which the Australian landed up to twelve punches.

"I just want to try to put the incident behind me now, it was an absolute disgrace what happened. But that's done and we move on. I suppose you are going to have your ups and downs and this is a down, I just want to try to move on," he said.

"I suppose if I was a prop nothing would be said about it but because I'm an outside half a lot has been said of it, but it's not too bad. I've had no dialogue with him (McRae) whatsoever, I don't think I want any either."

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