“The Irish bloody love it!” Ronan O’Gara has flown in with his entire La Rochelle playing squad and backroom staff for a week of preparations on Irish soil, ahead of this Saturday’s Champions Cup quarter final against Leinster. O’Gara and La Rochelle hold a 3-1 advantage over Leinster, in their meetings over the past four […]

2 years ago

The Cork native has been criticised, in some quarters, for speaking his mind after a wretched finish. On Saturday night in Paris, as Toulouse celebrated, we were met with images of Gregory Alldritt’s thousand-yard stare, Dillyn Leyds being led off the pitch in tears and the stoic, stewing face of Ronan O’Gara. La Rochelle are […]

2 years ago

TOULOUSE 29-26 LA ROCHELLE Romain Ntamack went from villain to hero in the space of four wild minutes in the Top 14 final at Stade de France. La Rochelle, coached by Ronan O’Gara, looked set to win the Top 14 title for the first time in their history and, with it, an historic double. Up […]

2 years ago

“He must be the most successful coach of all-time.” Ronan O’Gara was only half-joking about Donnacha Ryan, not long after La Rochelle claimed their second Champions Cup trophy in the space of 12 months. By Saturday night, Ryan and O’Gara could be Top 14 winners. It has been quite the start to the coaching career […]

2 years ago

“Yes, this is true. That was my job.” Oft-times, in preparation for interviews, you will do a bit of reading up on your subject and try to come at questions with a fresh slant. Reading that Levani Botia used to be a prison officer, though, that needed some confirming. We were five days out from […]

2 years ago

Living and breathing every moment. One French reporter got much more than he bargained for as he took his seat for Saturday’s Top 14 semi-final between the La Rochelle side of Ronan O’Gara and Union Bordeaux-Begles. The Top 14 semis were contested at Anoeta Stadium in San Sebastian, Spain, over the weekend. Toulouse doled out […]

2 years ago