Former Munster and Ireland out-half Ronan O'Gara has claimed he is currently in the 'hate' phase of his love/hate affair with his countryman Johnny Sexton.
O'Gara and Sexton battled it out for the Irish 10 jersey for years, and it was Sexton who eventually took over O'Gara's role in the Ireland team.
However, Sexton's transition as O'Gara's successor was not totally smooth, and relations between the pair were at one point frayed.
O'Gara recalled at one time: “It was the trickiest relationship I’ve ever experienced with any player.”
The tense relationship between O'Gara and Sexton improved somewhat when both found themselves at Top14 side Racing 92, with Sexton as a player and O'Gara as his coach.
Last weekend, Sexton broke O'Gara's all-time points record with Ireland by recording his 1090th point in world rugby.
Speaking to former Scotland international Jim Hamilton on Rugbypass this week, the Munster legend was asked how his current relationship was with his countryman.
"Yeah, it's been a love/hate, hate/love, hate/love. Probably, at the minute, it's hate," said O'Gara.
"That's the right way - and we've chatted this through - because two into one don't go. La Rochelle and Leinster don't go... [the relationship] was well made up after that [Munster and Leinster rivalry]; there were Ireland careers together and, sure, I coached him in Racing. That's a coach-player relationship, and very different, obviously."
Last May, Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle defeated Sexton's Leinster for the second year in a row to retain the Champions Cup.
Despite both being driven characters in rugby, O'Gara knows and respects the type of person Sexton is on the rugby pitch and totally respects the current Ireland captain's desire to win at all costs.
"There are so many different layers to Johnny, but there is a really good soul there. I'd like to think the same, but, sometimes, perception isn't reality with the two of them. Because you're essentially responsible for your team when you're the 10, the boss or the goal-kicker and, in his case, the captain. You're trying to drive the team.
"What has happened in the last few seasons has been the fact that we've come across them. So, he's trying to drive his team, I'm trying to drive my team. It's pretty fake if you think everything is going to be rosy. This is the European Cup we're talking about. This means a lot to an awful lot of people. There's going to be, without anything controversial even happening, a difference of opinion on how you see things.
"I'm trying to mess him up. He's trying to mess my team up. If you've got these two strong minds, it's not going to be a period where you're going to get on.
"But I think the most important thing is there will be huge respect there."
The full interview can be viewed here.
