Ronan O’Gara would ‘bite hands off’ for Test rugby but rules out one nation

Ronan O’Gara says there are international jobs he would “bite people’s hands off for” as he underlined a burning desire to coach at Test level.

O’Gara has named-checked England and Ireland among attractive roles to him, but Wales do not feature on his radar.

Wales head coach Warren Gatland’s future is uncertain following 12 successive Test defeats, with the Welsh Rugby Union currently reviewing a miserable Autumn Nations Series campaign that saw losses against Fiji, Australia and South Africa.

Former Ireland and Munster fly-half O’Gara, who won 128 caps for his country and featured on three British and Irish Lions tours, is among the most highly regarded coaches in world rugby.

Asked about Wales, though, he said: “I haven’t thought about that, to be honest with you. Without lacking humility, I would prefer Ireland, England or France.”

O’Gara masterminded French club La Rochelle’s back-to-back Champions Cup titles in 2022 and 2023 after serving his coaching apprenticeship with current New Zealand boss Scott Robertson at the Crusaders.

“You have got to have those ambitions, I think, because you want to be the best you can be,” O’Gara added.

“There are Test jobs I would bite people’s hands off for. That usually works itself out if you are good enough at your club.”

O’Gara is currently plotting a possible third Champions Cup triumph, a feat that has only been achieved by four other teams: Toulouse, Leinster, Saracens and Toulon.

That quest began with a 24-20 away win against current Gallagher Premiership leaders Bath, and second-placed Bristol are next up on Saturday.

“In France I am seen as very demanding and difficult because of standards I try and keep, but I just want players to try and experience what I did,” O’Gara said.

“I got so much out of the game. It gave me wonderful emotions, and now I want to really try and give back.

“We have only won Europe twice. We’ve never won a Bouclier (French Top 14 title), so the attraction, determination and the carrot is huge.

“There are some really good people and really good players in this club. You try and inspire them.

“But at the minute, we are terribly inconsistent (La Rochelle are sixth in the Top 14). We need to get our game going for 60 minutes, never mind 80. If we are good for 60, we will win a lot of games.

“(The Champions Cup) is a brilliant competition, obviously, because of what it has given me and my family.

“The emotion for it in La Rochelle is special because of what we’ve done. We need our ground humming against Bristol.

“Our force was always, like Munster back in the day, the 17,000 in the (Stade) Deflandre willing us over the line.

“Now, they sit down and watch a game. That can’t happen. It’s the same with our team, but we need to give them something to shout about.

“It is an absolute dogfight because every game is difficult in the Top 14. People who are maybe not associated with it don’t realise it’s a scrap.”