Ronan O'Gara is seeking his first Test start for the Lions on his third tour. On Wednesday against the Sharks he gets his second, and probably final, opportunity to press his case for inclusion in the side to face South Africa here next week after admitting that he failed to impress on the opening day in Rustenburg.
"I felt like a robot and an imbecile that day," said the fly-half with 92 Ireland caps. "I underestimated the effects of altitude. The mind was telling me one thing but the body was not taking me into the positions to do it. We were sluggish as a team and we had to watch the boys take it up a few notches the following Wednesday."
O'Gara will be partnering Mike Phillips, the favourite to secure the scrum-half berth, at half-back on Wednesday. Although the 32-year-old is the first outside-half to be given a second start, the way Stephen Jones masterminded the 74–10 victory over the Golden Lions would appear to have put the Welshman ahead in the contest for the No10 jersey.
"Mike is an aggressive, feisty scrum-half and I like partnering someone like that," O'Gara said. "He is similar to Tomás O'Leary [of Munster and Ireland] and he has an excellent pass which should allow me to play with width. I have developed a lot in the last three years and there is more to my armoury than a kicking game.
"Stephen and I have an excellent relationship. We are rivals for the Test spot, but you have to act like grown men and we get on very well together. We started our careers at roughly the same time and the fact that he is still going while many other outside-halves in Europe and the world have fallen by the wayside tells you everything you need to know about him.
"He did well last week and we have to show the same shape against the Sharks. I will be playing inside Jamie Roberts again, but outside him in Rustenburg was Keith Earls, a huge talent who is finding his feet, while this time Brian O'Driscoll, the master at international level, will be there."
Neil Jenkins arrives in South Africa this week to act as the Lions kicking coach, a move welcomed by O'Gara, who said: "You are never too old to learn. We employ Dave Alred at Munster and I changed my style of kicking out of hand after the Six Nations to give me more power.
"The kicking for goal has gone well, but it will be interesting to see if Neil's arrival will change our emphasis on kicking with the ball in hand. We have not done much in terms of strategic kicking so far: if you get that right, it can be very hard to defend. I get a thrill out of being challenged by specialist coaches and it is a smart move getting in someone of Neil's calibre."
