Even Ronan O’Gara can’t completely avoid getting caught up in the romance of this weekend’s visit of Munster.
This approaching clash at the Stade Marcel Deflandre has already been labelled the ROG derby. The line of questioning in pre-match media duties is therefore obvious. Is this a special week? Initially, O’Gara is reticent to attach too much importance to sentiment.
“No,” says O’Gara initially to the gathered French journalists. “It’s not a week for having fun, reflecting, seeing friends from Munster. It’s like that in rugby.
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“I have enough intelligence to understand that in this environment it’s like that. There’s a storm, but it’s an exterior storm.”
Given La Rochelle‘s recent form – winless since January 4th, 10th in the Top 14 standings – it’s an understandable response. O’Gara has enough to be worried about without waltzing down memory lane. Though he is more than willing to explain to the local scribes what to expect from Munster’s Red Army “having the craic” in their port town.
The Cork man then turns to the waiting group of Irish hacks. Come on Ronan, this one has to mean something more?
“It’s a love story,” O’Gara acknowledges. “It most definitely is.” He certainly knows his audience.
“One of the great learnings from me, we [Munster] lost the European Cup from being too emotional in 2000. We all cried our eyes out the night before, you know what I mean? Documenting to each other what it meant to play for Munster and then the next day you’re empty.
“In terms of the opposition, this game, if you’re to take a minute or five to reflect, it’s a fantastic story. As I said, it’s the two teams who have given me most in rugby, Munster and La Rochelle.
“There’ll be a coaching staff and supporters, one group will be disappointed. It is a massive opportunity for seeing how good the game of rugby can be because I can guarantee you they’ll all get on really well. There’ll be some atmosphere inside the ground, outside the ground, in the town. There’ll be brilliant craic, the place will be buzzing.”
Given O’Gara’s regular newspaper columns and radio slots, he is never far from the Irish airways. He has sometimes used that platform to discuss the goings on of his home province. Notably, Jack Crowley came in for some criticism for his “yo-yo” form prior to the Six Nations.
“I was harsh on Jack once or twice because I know how high his ceiling is,” says O’Gara, who once tried to sign the Irish outhalf for La Rochelle. “Straight away I said I like this guy, I’d like to work with him. I would like to think that’s a big compliment.”
Crowley impressed during Munster’s win over Connacht last weekend. That hasn’t impacted O’Gara much this week. “It’s hard for people to understand, I haven’t watched and I won’t watch the Munster-Connacht game because I have enough issues here with our own game,” he adds.
“At the minute, there’s too many deficiencies in our game so we have to iron them out.”
Mike Prendergast, who first embarked on his coaching career in France at a similar time to O’Gara, also came up in discussion. As O’Gara was holding court, Prendergast was confirmed as an assistant to Paul O’Connell for Ireland‘s summer tour. This after he led Ireland A during their clash with England back in February. Despite the growing experience, Prendergast was overlooked for the main Munster job.
“I think he has credentials to be the senior [Ireland] attack coach,” says O’Gara. “I think people maybe underestimate Mike. I don’t see why they should. Like the Munster job or Ireland attack coach job, he’d be disappointed.
“Without pushing his case too much, he’s a quality coach. The other side of it is maybe it’s the minimum he deserves to get his foot in the door by going on this [Ireland summer] trip.”
It was put to O’Gara that he could one day mirror Prendergast, earning success in France before eventually returning to Munster. “I don’t think so no,” is his riposte.
“We’ve a club here that’s a massive club, it’s one of the biggest in Europe. Yeah, it’s going through a sticky patch at the minute, without a doubt, but that happens in cycles, that happens in sport.
“We’ve made some signings for next year, next year is too early for me to speak about, there are certainly weaknesses in our set up but we can eradicate them. People back in Ireland don’t appreciate, well maybe they do because of what we’ve achieved, but this is a huge club.”
A huge club at a low ebb, as has been well documented. The narrative is that a home tie in a competition La Rochelle has won twice in recent years could bring the best out of them. O’Gara certainly sees things that way, albeit while acknowledging just how dire results have been.
“The beauty of this team is that, when we get it right, as we’ve shown, the opposition doesn’t matter. That’s not arrogant, that’s not cocky but it’s a huge task in front of me to get our team right.
“If I’m not excited about coaching against Munster this weekend, I should be doing something else.”
