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Ronan O'Gara explains strategy behind La Rochelle visit to Cork
Ronan O’Gara has explained the strategy behind intriguingly basing his La Rochelle team in his native Cork ahead of Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup quarter-final against Leinster in Dublin.
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Cork to Dublin is a three-hour journey by bus but the former Munster and Ireland out-half preferred to take that approach for this weekend’s game rather than have his team travel from La Rochelle to the Irish capital before the last-eight fixture.
The back-to-back title holders, who defeated Leinster in the last two finals in Marseille and Dublin, played their round-of-16 tie in Cape Town last Saturday where they squeezed past the Stormers.
After it was confirmed later that day that they would be away to Leinster in the next round, O’Gara actioned a plan he had come up with in conjunction with John O’Flynn, the general manager at the Fota Island resort, that would see La Rochelle fly to Cork on Monday from Paris rather than head home to the west coast of France to prepare for the latest clash with Leinster.
It was in a 2021 semi-final that the clubs ignited their now fascinating rivalry, La Rochelle winning that match and the two subsequent finals games in 2022 and 2023 before the Irish broke that pattern with a pool stage win last December in France.
Now the die has been cast for the fifth instalment, a build-up added by O’Gara billeting his La Rochelle team in Munster territory before they head up the road to Leinster. Speaking with the Irish Examiner, the French club’s boss explained: “The reality that people don’t understand is to go to La Rochelle from Paris by bus is six hours, by train four plus whatever.
“We need to train if we want to try and do the business at the weekend. So if we were to go back to La Rochelle on Monday, we’d get back there at three or four o’clock without having slept for two days.
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“It means you can only train Tuesday, but one training session won’t be good enough to compete against Leinster, so we said we would come straight to Cork and train Tuesday and train Thursday and try and keep it as a normal championship week for knockout rugby on a Saturday. From that regard, it’s fascinating.
“You have 27 hours from Cape Town, Johannesburg to Paris with flights, with internal flights and waiting times. For me, there was no point in adding another 12 hours of travel to the week. Just eliminate that, so we said we would go straight from Paris to Cork.
“It’s important you try and make it as enjoyable, there’s enough suffering in this game. There is wonderful staff here, good facilities, and with the season the way it is with the World Cup and Six Nations, we needed time together.
“We never tick a box. We are very privileged, we enjoy what we do. We represent Stade Rochelais, I come from Cork and I’m very proud of that. I spent the best years of my life in the Munster jersey, Ireland jersey, Lions jersey.
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“I’m back home here to prepare for a game where we have a good chance of progressing where we think we have achieved a remarkable run of victories in knockout rugby. We want that to continue, but the support has blown us away.
“It’s been really surprising and top-class just meeting all the locals from Cork. You forget that when you unfortunately get taken into your own little bubble and are full of the importance of that on the west side of France but It has been an unbelievably powerful week in terms of stirring the emotions for sure.”
BREAKING: Champions again. La Rochelle fans celebrate their latest classic 27-26 #HeinekenChampionsCup final win over Leinster. #LEIvSR pic.twitter.com/tEi1Zpl33L
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 20, 2023
Away from training, the La Rochelle players and staff have made good use of their time checking out O’Gara’s hometown. “The boys were fascinated by the live trad session, and it’s good that they are seeing Cork at its finest,” he said, name-dropping the various places they have visited on their downtime in the city.
“I have been trying for years to get over because it’s my hometown, I’ve a fondness for Cork and the boys know all about that, about trying to bring them for pre-season camps.
“But with the way we have had late seasons and gone deep into competitions, we have never had the chance because the first game of the Top 14 starts five weeks after the final of the previous campaign.
“It was always in my head to get over. Over the years I’ve gotten to know John O’Flynn and once John O’Flynn is interested in making something happen, he is brilliant and has turned this week into a most enjoyable week off the pitch with a world-class facility, food, recovery.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The more direct approach to your past time this time I see Ben. Look, it doesn’t need to be said, anyone watching the match knows the ABs played better and just got robbed by the officiating, but lets face it, their dominance in the match was only because South Africa choked and forgot how to play rugby with the ball. South Africa were still the better side. Of course Ireland and France were also better sides that New Zealand. Possibly even England on WC performances.
1 Go to commentsGreat mythology - no surprises Ox didn't talk about being driven backwards by Laulala in the RWC final!
4 Go to commentsJust shows how a hand up can help as long as the invitation is accepted. Good story.
1 Go to commentsKarma is a powerful force
21 Go to commentsFrench players said the same thing to the All Blacks after their pool match in 2011. But the French can back up their s**t talk with action.
67 Go to commentsThe problem is the officiating & changing rulings,& TMOs.Last weekend I saw a 9 penalized for a crooked scrum feed! the last time I saw that rule applied was In about 1975!!!!!!!!.Late or not the incident is history & Australians alleging that Kiwi rugby supporters wear eye patches is a bit rich.Try listening to Australian Commentators.Every new player who has an above average game is suddenly the next great sensation.
21 Go to commentsEvery Irish fan in the stadium celebrated like they had won the tournament after the SA and Scotland games so yeah, the way Etzebeth tells it stacks up. It was definitely ‘In Their Heads’!
67 Go to commentsEtsebeth is right about 1 thing. Boks after winning a RWC have been crap. Only in 2009 did they reach the heights of what a RWC Champion should look like but that was only after 3rd/last in the TriN 2008. Lost a home series in 1996 (vs ABs); didnt win even 1 x Rugby Championship after 2019. ABs and Wallabies and England at least played like Champions after winning RWC.
67 Go to commentsCrusaders will knock one of the top seeds out in the first round, hope it’s not my Chiefs
28 Go to commentsEben really seems like just a deeply unpleasant man.
67 Go to commentsDMac. BB crabs too much at 10.
4 Go to commentsIt is every boys dream to be a Springbok. I managed it in a discipline other than rugby…But rugby, I have always engaged with passion. It does my old heart good to see the mix of people in the team and this displays the possibilities for this wonderful country. The logo “stronger together” says it all. This current edition of the Boks is nothing short of inspirational.
4 Go to commentsIrish people about the best damn people on the planet. OK, in the NH. Fijians are the World’s best happiest friendliest people. But as far as European cultures producing good people, Ireland stands alone. But on the rugby pitch there is a creeping arrogance that has detached from humility. eg Sexton abusing a match referee, and not for the 1st time. He was extremely lucky to make it to the RWC, strings were pulled. And O’Mahoneys sledge to Cane was lowballing, attacking an opposition Captain seems opportunistic and gutter talk. Cane is a real gentleman. Have never seen ABs unleash after the whistle like they did on O’Mahoney after QterF, it was well deserved. Unlike Bok supporters, the Bok players understand history. Massive amount of respect between Boks and ABs is evident, they get on well and have throughout history. Even Pinetree Meads best mate (except his old cobber Kel Tremain) were Springboks, friendships forged after tours. And Meads was always targetted given his star status (he even played 2 x Tests with a broken arm). On the contrary, ABs and Wallabies famously dont get on, bad blood after Aussies not taking offer of beersies postmatch.
67 Go to commentsHaha god NZ journalism is so crap listen to this guy “We’ll be proven in a few weeks if our baseless bs can stick” lol Everywhere else uses experts to write stuff but here they’re just career guys that don’t care about what they write, NOT CONCEDED A TRY IN YEARS lol > “Naturally, you’re looking for performance, sometimes that means you can’t think logically or use evidence to arrive at any sort of clarity of decision. Pretty much sums it up to a tee Paul ignores the articles in here about then runs off each team this year, that Penney is just a yearly stop gap until, who, Ellison is released by ABs, the huge imbalance of the injury front between teams at each end of the table, or who it was that _should_ have been coach. But of course if they actually do evidence and investigative work theyre shy of their article not hitting that sensationalism boundary and lose revenue. Leaving us non the wiser. They look like they would have been best with a geeup coach this year to turn around the razorless depression the clubs obviously going through. Hard to think of someone fitting the Bill to have been chosen instead, the clown Cheika? Id have been tempted to double play and entice O’Gara down. Hell maybe that is who they are waiting for, he wants a international gig and it could be after Scmidt or razor
28 Go to comments_Dan Carter weighs in on who should be Scott Robertson's All Black 10_ Dan: “It’s a toss up between Beudy and Dmac, although Mounga would be nice - but he can’t… so…” The Rugby Public: “Thanks Dan. For nuthin!”
4 Go to commentsEngland did this way back for the Croke Park match in the 2000’s. The shame actually seemed to weigh on them during the match. It will not be easy for Northhampton players to rationalize how their army went into a stadium of a major city of the then United Kingdom and opened fire indiscriminantly into terraces killed 14 and wounding scores. I am sure with a pro setup they will get this balance right. I live beside the stadium. A very old woman on the street remembers as a very young girl the crowds of people filling the street to escape the massacre. A lot of water under the bridge and the match has really little historical relevance for Irish/Leinster supporters any more. Those ghosts were freed in the trashing of England in the 2000’s match. Sure, it will motivate Leinster but Northhampton should not overly consider it or weigh on it in my opinion. Dowson is right to learn the historical importance and Northhampton are indeed giving the occasion due respect. It is important to show respect. But that’s enough for Northhampton. Fair play to them. On to the rugby now.
15 Go to commentsDouble World Cup Champions ? Wow since when did 4 become 2!
215 Go to comments“See you in the final” from a winning (Irish) team is just away of wishing a team well for the rest of the tournament. It’s actually saying I hope we both make it to the final. Etzebeth was the only player who PUBLICLY said that his team would make the final after that match. Does anyone honestly think Ireland who took 100 years to beat NZ and got hammerred by them in 2019 would for the slightest moment not take the perilous threat as seriously as it should be taken? Getting sick of Boks and Kiwis who spend all year every year trying boasting about how great and humble they are and then accusing others of arrogance. Respect people by trying to understand them before hitting a pretty humble people with this crap.
67 Go to commentsThe feelings of gratitude I feel when thinking about the Boks is difficult to describe. It really means a lot to people here. I would flat out ask Ox for a big hug if I met him in person. And then probably pass out after the squeeze. Totally worth it.
4 Go to commentsFarrell seems to be an outstanding coach and Ireland a very well prepared team. But they looked like they had no plan B against NZ. Maybe they really were looking past them, as Eben says.
67 Go to comments