Ronan will be in hot demand after RWC
The name of Ronan O’Gara is once again on the lips of rugby lovers across Europe. The man whose nerves of steel won so many games at the death for Munster and Ireland has turned himself into an amazing coach since hanging up his boots and was the mastermind behind La Rochelle’s epic Heineken Champions Cup final victory over the seemingly unbeatable Leinster.
It was a victory that not many thought possible. The tiny coastal town seemed to have imported most of its 77,000 inhabitants into the magnificent Marseille stadium and they provided magnificent support. It was a throwback to the more romantic days of European rugby, when passion, local pride, as well as great planning and some superb players, could make the difference.
We all fell in love with Brive – the only team to have won the Champions Cup from a town with a smaller population than La Rochelle – back in the day when they won the title in Cardiff, beating mighty Leicester, and then went on to reach a second final. Now Ronan has made the rugby world fall in love with La Rochelle. He could live there for the rest of his life and never have to put his hand in his pocket in any bar or restaurant in the city.
But you get the feeling there is a career path clearly identified in Ronan’s thoughts. After stints with Racing 92, the Crusaders and now La Rochelle, might we see him stepping up onto the international stage? It was pretty obvious from the way he created a plan to stifle Leinster that he is technically and tactically gifted as a coach, but he also deserves credit for the way in which he has created a winning culture at the French club.
They have been to three European finals in four seasons and reached the Top 14 final for the first time in their history last season. His pigeon French has either charmed his players or hit exactly the right spots. He also has a strong core of southern hemisphere players who have brought a real sprinkling of star-dust to the club.
Will Skelton was superb in the final, a real powerhouse who just kept on throwing his massive frame into everything from the first to last minute. Who wouldn’t want a player like him in their side!
I’m sure his talent doesn’t come cheap, and neither would the services of All Blacks Tawrea Kerr-Barlow and Victor Vito, the Springbok duo Dillyn Leyds and Raymond Rhule or Fiji’s multitalented Levani Botia and Pumas hooker Facundo Bosch. But just look where the club’s investment has taken them.
There is a lesson here for the four Welsh regions and the WRU. If you are going to introduce foreign players
“O’Gara deserves credit for the way he has created a winning culture at the French club”
into your squads, you have to ensure they are of the highest quality. Gary Teichman, Percy Montgomery and Robbie Kempson made a huge impact at Newport when they first arrived. We had Justin Marshall, Marty Holah, Jerry Collins and Filo Tiatia during my days at the Ospreys and Cardiff went from Pieter Muller to Xavier Rush, Paul Tito and Ben Blair.
Players of that calibre and influence who are at the peak of their powers have faded away in the recent cash-strapped days. They somehow find a way in Ireland to ensure there are top shelf imports introduced into each of their top three provincial sides and their influence on the locals has played a part in the advance of Irish rugby.
If you take the example of La Rochelle, they may have started with five non-French players, and had three more on the bench, yet they still boasted French stars such as Brice Dulin, Jonathan Danty, Pierre Bougarit and Gregory Alldritt. And in 20-year-old flanker Matthias Haddad, who was pressed into service due to Vito’s injury, they have a home-grown star of the future.
The blend of French and nonFrench players allows the club to thrive. It is not merely a factory farm for the national side, but a highly competitive and viable sporting entity that can properly represent its region and supporters. Success at European level for a club can breed success for an international team. I’m sure the estimated £22m annual budget helps, but when you are selling out your 15,000 stadium for almost every game because people love to watch a winning team there is a return on your investment.
But back to ROG. The question on everyone’s lips was what is the next step for him? When the 2023 World Cup cycle comes to an end he is going to be in demand on the international coaching circuit. If France fail to win the title on home soil might he be considered for that role, or could he succeed Andy Farrell in the Irish hot seat?
Wayne Pivac’s contract is up after next year’s tournament, so I hope the WRU are checking into his availability. The search for candidates to take Wales forward will definitely be on the ‘to do’ list for Nigel Walker and Steve Phillips. They recently claimed it wasn’t something that was on their radar, but having installed Wayne a year before Warren Gatland left they will surely realise the need for forward planning.
Next month’s three-Test tour to South Africa, as well as the four game Autumn Nations Series involving games against New Zealand and South Africa, will be important for the Welsh coaching team ahead of the World Cup. They could do with catching a break after what happened against Italy in the final round of a pretty poor Six Nations campaign. If they don’t, then who knows what might happen.
Lots of people are casting their minds forward to next year and who will lead Wales from there on in. Ronan has laid out his credentials, Robbie Deans recently won another title in Japan, Steve Hansen is only undertaking consultancy work and Shaun Edwards will have completed his stint in France. There are a few names to conjure with – I presume they are all somewhere on the WRU wish list!