his last appearance for Ireland. O'Gara was dropped from the Ireland squad for the game against France, and was also left out of the squad for Ireland's final game against Italy, which Ireland lost 22–15, their only ever defeat to Italy in the Six Nations. O'Gara announced his retirement from all rugby on 18 May 2013. British & Irish Lions 2001 O'Gara received his first Lions selection for the tour to Australia in 2001. He played in four tour games, against Western Australia, NSW Waratahs, NSW Country Districts and ACT Brumbies, scoring 26 points overall. O'Gara was a substitute in the team that played Australia A. In the game against NSW Waratahs, O'Gara was repeatedly punched by Duncan McRae, which resulted in O'Gara needing eight stitches around his eye and McRae being sent off and later banned for seven weeks. After the game, then Lions coach Graham Henry called the match 'a bad day for rugby'. 2005 O'Gara earned his second Lions call-up for the tour to New Zealand in 2005 On the tour, he played in 6 tour games, against Bay of Plenty, New Zealand Maori, Otago, Southland, Manawatu and Auckland. O'Gara also earned his first Lions test cap, coming on in the third test defeat as a replacement. 2009 O'Gara was named in the Lions squad for the 2009 tour to South Africa. On 30 May he scored 22 points, including a try, in the opening match of the tour against the Royal XV, in a 37–25 win. On 10 June, he played against , scoring 12 points as the tourists won 39–3. On 16 June, O'Gara was in the Lions team that defeated Southern Kings 20–8. On 23 June, he captained the midweek side in a 13–13 draw against the Emerging Springboks On 27 June, O'Gara came off the bench in the second test match, winning his second Lions cap. He conceded a seventy-ninth-minute penalty when the score was tied, when he collided with South African scrum-half Fourie du Preez in the air. Morné Steyn scored the penalty, and won the match and the series for the Springboks. O'Gara played 5 games in total on the 2009 tour, scoring 49 points. Retirement After weeks of speculation following Munster's semi-final defeat to ASM Clermont Auvergne in the 2012–13 Heineken Cup, O'Gara's retirement was confirmed on 18 May 2013. O'Gara explained his decision to retire: "I have ambitions in