Speaking after the match, the usually buoyant Ronan O’Gara expressed his disappointment at the result – a bitter defeat ending his team’s two-year domination of the Champions Cup. Displaying a graceful sportsmanship, O’Gara firmly acknowledged the challenges presented by the victorious team.
“It’s less burdensome to move forward”, O’Gara affirmed, “A narrow defeat leaves more room for regret. Yet, if one is logical, it was clear that the blue-clad team was the more commanding of the two.
“Their swift responses, their impenetrable defence – it all made the game more challenging for us. Apart from the kick-off which we controlled, we couldn’t make a breakthrough during the initial 70 minutes,” he further elaborated.
O’Gara pointed out Ryan Baird’s early second-half try as the tide changing moment, negating La Rochelle’s maul score in the closing stages of the first half.
“Despite the match trajectory, entering the second half a mere 10 points behind seemed tolerable. However, surrendering another soft score to them, despite their proficient execution, allowed them to pull ahead by 17. This setback halted our rhythm, forcing us to play catch up.
“Furthermore, during the concluding 30 minutes, our basic skills were measurably inaccurate. In quarter-finals, such discrepancies are unacceptable – we need to improve.”
The journey to South Africa for the previous Round of 16 victory against the Stormers, in spite of their Monday retreat to Cork, might have sapped La Rochelle’s vigour. But O’Gara dismissed this suggestion in the name of fairness, “This could be viewed as an excuse. Looking back, perhaps it played a part. However, the superior team triumphed. That is the essence of sport.”
“As a coach, I’ve tasted victory on this stage. Therefore, when the tide turns against you, the blame game is off the table. No finger-pointing at the referee or your players, all you do is applaud the winners. Kudos to Leinster, they devised a good strategy, implemented it perfectly, and kept us at bay throughout the 80-minute mark.”
Despite La Rochelle’s worse defeat in the tournament at 40-13, Coach O’Gara wasn’t extremely taken aback by the extent of the thrashing. He had predicted either a dominating victory or a crushing defeat for his team in a pre-match interview. He holds his team in high regard for their exceptional rugby skills, but recognises their inability to perform impressively that day, attributing it to several factors. Despite the 40-13 scoring sounding like an intense battering, it was a fairly close game as they only conceded three tries against Leinster. O’Gara reflected on the missed opportunities for consolation scores, which didn’t count as actual scores, towards the end of the game. He believes that the game still hung in the balance during the 10-point zone but once it exceeded that, the hope of winning became quite improbable.
Simultaneously, Leo Cullen is hoping for a significant turnout at Croke Park for Leinster’s Champions Cup semi-final against Northampton in three weeks time. The last match against La Rochelle, which saw the team secure their second consecutive victory over Leinster last May, was sold out with a capacity crowd of 51,700 largely due to the rivalry between the teams. However, this forthcoming semi-final may struggle to draw such a large crowd, contrary to the one in 2009 between Leinster and Munster. Back then, Leo Cullen led his blue-clad team to victory.
Cullen looks forward to a good turnout at Croke Park in the three weeks leading up to the semi-final, a factor he knows he cannot take for granted given the stiff competition for attention. He emphasises his gratitude towards the fans who attended the match, acknowledging their importance to the team. However, the significance of the Croke Park semi-final was not much talked about as the emphasis was on defeating La Rochelle.
Without mincing words, we’ve not extensively discussed it in great detail, that’s the absolute truth. Markedly, the post-match locker room chatter didn’t revolve around it. Yes, we’ve been facing intermittent queries about its possibility, and I’m aware that significant effort has been put in to bring this game to a reality. However, the crux remains reaching the game first. It’s not advisable to be overambitious.
Now, we stand a stone’s throw away from an exciting game. Our immediate task is to keenly observe the game, identify our opponents, and chart out a plan centred around the game itself. Comparatively, the event’s magnitude has given us a fortunate position as players from that historic 2009 era where the provincial rivalry was palpable.
In 2009, we weren’t the favourites to secure a win, but today paints a different picture for our team. It’s undeniably phenomenal to have a shot at it, given the venue’s iconic status in Irish society, and not merely from a sporting viewpoint. This is a remarkable opportunity for our group, but we have a thrilling voyage to South Africa in the coming week. Our excitement will soon shift focus to strategising for the semi-final and its location.
The squad that Cullen will be leading to South Africa for the intermediate URC games against the Lions and the Stormers, both in Johannesburg and Cape Town, is anticipated to be front-loaded. The frontline players are expected to play the opening game rather than the latter.
Our journey commences on Tuesday, and we’re yet to finalise some names for the airlines to prepare for their flight. We’ll see how everyone fares and then chalk out a plan accordingly.
The silver lining is the eagerness among some players who are eager to step on the field. That is crucial – to have players who are eager for a chance.
We’ll make some decisions and hope that those who will travel, will reflect well on the team and the group.