Anyone who likes a bit of certainty, it’s gone, and I’d say it’s gone for a long time
O’Gara embracing new normal ahead of rugby restart
THIS global situation is ever changing and nothing – in life or rugby – is certain at the moment, but Ronan O’Gara is embracing it all.
He is currently gearing up for his second season in charge of La Rochelle, the ambitious Top14 outfit based on the Atlantic coast, and he knows that things can change very quickly. Stade Francais are currently in lockdown after a reported 25 of their squad contracted Covid-19 during a pre-season training camp in Nice. Still, French rugby chiefs are adamant that the new season will go ahead, as planned, at the beginning of September. O’Gara’s side will entertain Toulon at their Stade Marcel Deflandre base that weekend.
La Rochelle have yet to be breached but, as Munster found out last week, the coronavirus is managing to infiltrate the tightest of bio bubbles.
Being a head coach is a stressful business at the best of times, even more so when the disruptive impact of a global health pandemic is added to the equation, but O’Gara remains pragmatic.
‘My mindset would be we have to manage this as best we can, but there’s nothing more important than players’ or people’s health,’ said the former Munster and Ireland out-half.
‘That’s there and it will always be there, but once it gets to rugby, you nearly have to prepare player A, B and C in a certain position, because you don’t know who is going to rock up fit on the morning of a game, and that could be a coach as well, or anyone, we can get it at any stage and if it happens you’re gone, out of the system.
‘But that’s why I suppose the teams with good environments will probably do better in this period.
‘Anyone who likes a bit of certainty, it’s gone, and I’d say it’s gone for a long time.
La Rochelle are in action this Saturday against Toulouse in a pre-season friendly, but O’Gara will be keeping tabs on the eagerly-anticipated clash between Munster and Leinster at the Aviva Stadium. He knows all about that rivalry. People like O’Gara defined it for the best part of a decade.
‘It’s a great match because I think Leinster are the best team in Europe. I have to first of all say that. They are an exceptional team and they have been for a long time. They set standards.
‘So, if you are interested in rugby and interested in what the best teams do, you watch Leinster, you watch the Crusaders, you watch New Zealand, you watch South Africa, you watch Exeter – you watch a lot of teams.
‘Obviously Munster being my club, it’s a game that there is no easing into. It’s still one of the biggest games in Europe and it’s an unbelievable game for people to have after 175 days of a break.
‘It’s always been a special fixture and I think it’s the biggest game in Irish rugby. It’s one that means rugby is certainly back with a bang. You couldn’t get a better game. The timing of it is perfect, too. It’s different to other pre-seasons, there will be no easing into this.’
And there is a sense that Munster are building up to something.
After years of trailing in their arch rival’s wake, the feeling is that the Reds are beginning to close the gap, especially out wide. O’Gara has seen plenty of development in that area.
‘You take Jordan Larmour and Keith Earls, both of them can make you look silly in a small area of space. I think there is probably an under appreciation of how good Munster backs can be, you look at their personnel.
‘You can have Conor Murray, you can have JJ (Hanrahan), Joey Carbery, (Damian) de Allende or (Rory) Scannell, (Chris) Farrell, (Andrew) Conway, Earls and one or two for 15, they’ve incredible competition and all of those are Irish players if not knocking on the door to be Irish players. That will be where Munster will look to get an improvement out of this term.
‘They have a backline that can compete with the best in Europe so they’ll want to show that from the off.’
The arrivals of Damian de Allende and RG Snyman could well be the missing pieces in a Munster squad that has lacked that extra bit of quality against the top opposition in recent times. World Cup winners and world class operators, it is hoped that Munster’s new Springbok signings can emulate the likes of
‘You don’t know who will rock up the day of a game’
Jim Williams, Rua Tipoki and Doug Howlett and bring the province to a new level.
’It was a massive statement and the biggest bit of business in world rugby and that reflects well on Munster as a club,’ O’Gara added.
‘With that, there will be a big expectancy on the two boys but I don’t think that will weigh too heavily on them. They’re World Cup winners, they’ll take it in their stride and add to the team. I think what’s impressive watching from a distance and I don’t know them, their own games seem very strong.
‘De Allende was really good at the World Cup. You’d be surprised at that level the difference that one player can make but two players, an enforcer up front and, especially at Munster, a 12 is really important, I think if they find their feet – they may not find their feet straight away – you’d be thinking by next May, they will.
‘It’s not hugely important, I know there is different seasons going on and there is a bit to take away in the next two months with silverware, but from Munster’s point of view, they’re not in the European Cup and they want to be winning that, potentially in 11 months time.
‘Those boys will be absolutely crucial and they should have found their feet by then.’
zRonan O’Gara was speaking as an ambassador for Guinness who, in collaboration with BuJo, have created two limited edition kits, one for Leinster and one for Munster, for the ultimate rugby at home experience, the Guinness x Bujo Home Kits.