Ronan O’Gara Acknowledges La Rochelle’s Struggles Ahead of Leinster Showdown
Ronan O’Gara has admitted that his La Rochelle side is “suffering” and “in pain” as they prepare to face Leinster in the Champions Cup this weekend. Despite achieving their 100th successive sell-out at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre, La Rochelle’s 22-19 win against a second-string Toulouse side last Saturday highlighted deeper issues within the team.
The match, decided by a last-minute penalty from Antoine Hastoy, left little room for celebration. O’Gara conceded the performance could serve as a “wake-up call” with the team’s European ambitions on the line over the next fortnight.
Leinster arrive with momentum, aiming for back-to-back wins against their French rivals. They decisively ended La Rochelle’s European title hopes with a 40-13 victory in last season’s quarter-finals. Speaking at a post-match press conference, O’Gara offered a candid reflection on his team’s struggles.
“We Are Suffering”
“We will appreciate the four points,” O’Gara said of the Toulouse match. “But right now, it’s… it’s… like a defeat! It’s hard, right now. We need to change something. If I knew what, I would have done it already. We are suffering, our game is suffering.”
He continued, “We are not taking pleasure. But it can change. Everyone is negative, but it happens because success creates a lot of problems. And success is really in the past. We must stop talking about success. Real competitors stay united and work harder. That’s my goal.”
O’Gara took responsibility for turning the team’s fortunes around: “I’m the leader. And we will start that on Monday, Tuesday. Despite everything, we are in the top six in the standings. When we are able to string together a few phases, we will be interesting. It’s up to us to turn the wheel.”
Facing Leinster: A Critical Test
Looking ahead to Leinster, O’Gara acknowledged the urgency of improvement. “Leinster arrives on Sunday. Maybe this is the wake-up call we need. I’m not going to lose confidence in my players. It’s a difficult time, but in English, we say ‘when it rains, it pours.’ That’s how it is right now.”
Reflecting on his own mindset, O’Gara added: “Since my time at Crusaders, I see the glass half full now. But, at the moment, everyone, and me too in recent months, has seen the team half empty.”
A Demand for More
When asked whether his message was still resonating with his players, O’Gara admitted: “No, I think maybe it wasn’t a good message… The players and I have to give more. That’s the goal for this week. Maybe it won’t work, in four weeks or in four months. But the goal in life is to try.”
A key moment in Saturday’s win came after Valentin Delpy’s late dropped goal seemed to secure a draw for Toulouse. O’Gara praised his team’s resolve in the final stages. “What’s good is that when it’s super hard, they have the ability to hold the ball, to advance, to win a penalty,” he said. “Antoine was in pain; he continued to work and received the biggest reward with a difficult penalty in injury time.”
Fitness Questions and a Negative Atmosphere
O’Gara dismissed claims that the team’s fitness was an issue, saying: “No, I don’t think so, because we are much more ‘fit’ than last year. It’s another negative rumour that, like the others, is everywhere in La Rochelle at the moment. It’s normal—it’s a difficult period.”
He emphasised the need to move on from past success: “We need to work hard, to rework and to forget the past. We need to find a recipe to go for Le Bouclier (the Top 14 title), which the club has never done. But we need to change the atmosphere. The atmosphere is negative everywhere.”
A Determined Outlook
Despite the challenges, O’Gara remains confident in his team’s ability to turn things around. “I remember one Sunday morning when I was last in the championship. If La Rochelle is last, that bothers me, but we are… I’m not going to avoid the tough questions because we’re in a tough situation. But we are alive, life is beautiful, we will react.”
As Leinster loom large, the pressure is on for La Rochelle to rediscover their form and prove their mettle in Europe once again.
