Ronan O'Gara: '‘Do you coach in French?’ Damn right I coach in French! If you had Lauren Labit and Lauren Travers coaching in Munster and they coached in French you would be going, ‘look at those disrespectful f*****s.’'
There is no reason to suspect he won’t, as there are worse places to live than the idyllic Île de Ré, which is linked to the mainland by a three-kilometre bridge built in 1988, a striking architectural structure with its sweeping curves that connects the two land masses in the Bay of Biscay.
The La Rochelle Under-15s have finished training, Rua, and a friend, Augustine, bounce into the back of the Volvo with its distinctive La Rochelle rugby club livery. Winning the Champions Cup has made him a little more visible in the community, but it is no imposition as far as he is concerned. As he left an Italian restaurant the previous evening, recognition came in the form of a polite, whispered, “c’est Ronan O’Gara, le titulaire du rugby Rochelais” after he passed a couple of tables containing a young family and some twentysomethings on a night out.
Outwardly more understated, Le Comptoir Irlandais stocks a cornucopia of Celtic nick-nacks in the form of knitwear, T-shirts, jewellery and some well-known comestibles such as Heinz Baked Beanz, Hunky Dorys, Curly Wurlys and Rowntrees fruit pastilles, to name a few. 'Wow! It was amazing,' says Ronan O'Gara of the reception his victorious team received on returning home from last year's Champions Cup final. Photograph: Photograph: Yohan Bonnet/AFP via Getty Images
“They never thought they would win Europe. They have obviously dreamed of winning a Bouclier [de Brennus, the trophy for the Top 14 title], which is still the plan, but to actually scale Europe was something that wouldn’t have been on the radar.” “Thomas Lavault is local, the Boudehent brothers are local, Jules Favre is local, Thomas Berjon is local, Jules Lebail is local, Matthias Haddad is local, so there are a lot of players who really care about playing for La Rochelle.
'We try to make it real, in that you are yourself and you don’t put on a mask," says Ronan O'Gara of the atmosphere he aims to create among his squad. Photograph: Valentine Chapus/AFP via Getty Images “We try to make it real, in that you are yourself and you don’t put on a mask. We have a lot of fun. That’s important to the Islands boys: Will Skelton, Uini [Atonio], Levani [Botia] aren’t into being grumpy; it is not in their psyche, their make-up.”
Atonio is a messer, squirting water and blindsiding team-mates with a tackle shield, all the while shouting the odds. No one takes umbrage, it could be his 145kg body composition but what’s noticeable is that a little fun doesn’t interfere with the staccato bursts of activity that carry a focused intensity. O’Gara doesn’t permit full contact in training, it rarely broaches 60 per cent capacity, thereby preserving freshness for game day.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Danty starts for La Rochelle as Dillane named on bench for Leinster clashDanty starts for La Rochelle as Dillane named on bench for Leinster clash:
Read more »
Kyrgios forced to miss French Open after hurting foot during robberyTENNIS-AUSTRALIA/KYRGIOS (PIX):Tennis-Kyrgios forced to miss French Open after hurting foot during robbery: agent
Read more »
Rafael Nadal pulls out of French Open after failing to recover from hip injuryRafael Nadal will miss the French Open after failing to regain full fitness from a hip injury suffered at the Australian Open in January, the 14-times Roland Garros winner said on Thursday, adding 2024 could be the final year of his career.
Read more »
France’s Nicolas Sarkozy loses appeal against corruption convictionFormer French president will have to wear electronic bracelet, will challenge ruling at highest court
Read more »
Heineken helps Leinster super-fan send message to La Rochelle with cheeky shout-out to Ronan O'Gara | JOE.ieHeineken helps Leinster super-fan send message to La Rochelle with cheeky shout-out to Ronan O'Gara
Read more »
'It's a decision my body is taking': 14-time French Open champ Nadal out of Roland GarrosNadal’s hip injury has not healed ahead of the tournament, which gets underway on Monday.
Read more »