Of all Ireland's World Cup flops, Ronan O'Gara has the most to prove during this year's RBS 6 Nations Championship.
Less than a year earlier O'Gara had outlined his objective of becoming the second-best fly-half in the game behind New Zealand superstar Dan Carter.
But by the time Ireland's World Cup had fully unravelled to its abysmal conclusion, he had emerged as probably the team's greatest disappointment.
The pain of Ireland's astonishing group-stage demise was intensified by the fact they arrived in France with genuine ambitions of reaching the semi-finals.
And O'Gara's own descent from a player who was leading the chasing pack behind Carter to an error-prone stand-off bereft of confidence mirrored his side's collapse.
Some exoneration was available in the shape of a series of unsubstantiated rumours that originally surfaced in the French press.
Talk of O'Gara's alleged marital and gambling problems, published for the first time, engulfed the build-up to the crucial Pool D clash against France.
The Irish camp rallied around O'Gara with coach Eddie O'Sullivan and captain Brian O'Driscoll taking it in turns to tear a strip off the French journalist who had effectively declared open season upon their chief playmaker.
And there was similar support back in Ireland with one tabloid newspaper superimposing the face of the offending reporter onto the body of a slug.
But the backing failed to have the desired effect as Ireland slumped to a decisive 25-3 defeat, with O'Gara struggling markedly behind a back-pedalling pack.
Up until the game O'Gara had remained silent on the slurs, but he chose the unlikely surroundings of the post-match mixed-zone to confront them head on.
"The most important thing is that people who know me realise there is no truth in these stories whatsoever," he said.
"The gambling affront doesn't bother me because I'll say it straight up - I do back horses and do it frequently.
"I own racehorses and have placed bets since I was 18. It was said in L'Equipe that I owed 300,000 euros. That's a load of nonsense.
"The fact I have a troubled marriage is quite disappointing to hear. It's not for me to say I have a perfect marriage.
"Like everyone else little things happen but that's behind closed doors at home. I love my wife and she loves me, that's all I can say on the matter."
O'Sullivan sought to blunt criticism of O'Gara's performance by blaming the pack for failing to provide him with the platform he needed.
"Ronan has coped very well with the pressure. People will look at his performance against France and probably point the finger at him," he said.
"I don't believe the stories distracted him. People might disagree but I'm more of a view to look at the possession he got when rating his performance."
O'Sullivan's public backing was to be expected but had there been a viable alternative at fly-half, O'Gara would surely have been dropped for the final pool game against Argentina.
Tucked away in Ireland's isolated Bordeaux base camp, O'Gara may have been shielded from the maelstrom that his words had sparked back home, but it was obvious the pressure was taking its toll.
Luckily the rumour mill had gone into overdrive and the whole team was swamped by a succession of stories such as a senior player was picking the team and several members of the squad had returned to Northern Ireland for a drinking session.
And with the long-shot clash against Argentina looming, attention had been diverted elsewhere with more pressing concerns grabbing the headlines.
But there was no improvement from O'Gara on the pitch. Instead he produced his worst performance of the World Cup as Ireland slumped to a 30-15 defeat to the Pumas.
His kicking was abysmal and the vision that was present during the year leading up to the tournament was a distant memory, contributing to a bitter conclusion to what should have been a memorable World Cup for Ireland and O'Gara.
Since returning to the reassuring surroundings of Munster, he has recaptured some the form that deserted him in France when his finest hour appeared to be beckoning.
Picking up where he left off in May, O'Gara has proved authoritative in the Heineken Cup despite having the extra responsibility of leading the team in the absence of the injured Paul O'Connell.
But it is in the green of Ireland that he must redeem himself as fans are unlikely to forgive a poor Six Nations after having their loyalty tested to the limit during the World Cup.
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