Residing on Ile de Ré in La Rochelle, Ronan O’Gara’s abode has been rechristened Ile de Rog by locals. This week, Cork also earned the title of “Rog Town”, as it became the launchpad for O’Gara’s team to tackle Leinster at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday. The French team chose not to return home after their South African campaign, instead journeying by commercial flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg, then Paris. Their final stop was Ireland.
Embracing their adopted identity as Munster, the team taps into the ethos provided by their coaches, O’Gara and Donnacha Ryan who had delved deep into the Dublin territory with the fervour and rivalry unique to provincial counters.
Conveying the local recognition that O’Gara has been endowed with, Ryan recollects their encounter with the mayor. He says, “Whilst dining out with the staff, we bumped into the mayor who was in the company of the French ambassador. He took the opportunity to congratulate the boys, informing them that Rog had been honoured with the ‘Freeman of Cork’ title.”
Stated plans of visiting a rugby match had to be postponed due to the team’s fatigue from travel. However, a lively evening was spent at an Irish music venue with the staff. Some team members planned for golf and engaging with a few members from the Munster team.
O’Gara inspires his French team with an exceptional kind of enthusiasm. By representing rugby’s significance to Munster and equipping his team with the sentiment of an Irish team in the European quarter-final, he’s nurturing more support from the locals than anticipated.
The preparation in Cork is significant for the players to understand their coaches better, especially O’Gara’s revered status in the community. He prioritises understanding his players’ roots. This week, they are reciprocating by understanding him, creating a deeper connection and shared experiences, which can be advantageous in the intensity of a Champions Cup elimination match.
“Upon arriving at the airport, the experience was beyond belief,” recollects Ryan. “Passing through security, our team wasn’t required to submit their passports to the two men at the counter. This filled the French lads with surprise over such familiarity.
We receive a vast number of Irish supporters at our matches, which the boys greatly appreciate. It really makes it all worthwhile. We had the opportunity to practise at Temple Hill just the other day. There were numerous past coaches present, including Donal Lenihan, Brian Hickey and others.
We cherished the chance to share memories with them and introduce the players and the team from La Rochelle. They brought a fresh perspective to our identity, our origins, and our journey.
Nevertheless, balancing the fun in Cork and golfing on Fota Island’s championship course requires precision.
“Fine lines need to be drawn,” advises Ryan, aware that grit needs to takeover friendliness and Munster storytelling to avoid undermining the hard-won respect and support.
La Rochelle may have succumbed to Leinster in December, but they have held an advantage in prior seasons. Psyching themselves up as the underdogs would be well within their capabilities. Ryan also boasts coaching under Leinster’s two-time World Cup-winning coach Jacques Nienaber, during his tenure at Munster with Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus.
The key to Leinster’s gameplay isn’t a mystery. The true test for La Rochelle is to devise a strategy to counteract it.
“We squared up against Leinster earlier this season at Deflandre, and it was evident that their defence was hungry to charge forward and apply pressure,” shares Ryan. “It’s reminiscent of a typical South African model, and as Jacques formerly mentioned, he had a 16-week scheme for incorporating it into Leinster’s defensive method.”
“Let me assure you, having had the good fortune to be guided by Jacques and Rassie during my time in Munster, they are both highly intelligent individuals with a clear grasp of their game plan. Their defensive tactics, particularly in terms of line speed and breakdown work, are noticeably sharp. As such, we need to pay special attention to these elements in our preparations this week.”
The chatter is all about statistics. However, Ryan dismisses the notion that La Rochelle is soaking up community-held esteem and praise, which is often centred around the former Irish scrum-half. He believes the French players recognising the importance of victory to their coach leads more to team solidarity than psychological conditioning.
“To tell you the truth, the lads thoroughly enjoy seeing Rog in his familiar setting,” he shared. “They’ve been made to feel entirely at home here, and everyone’s been on the lookout for local tales, so they can engage in a bit of lighthearted banter with us. We’ve had numerous offers of assistance, with everyone telling us ‘if there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask.’ That, in essence, is the spirit of rugby.”
Is O’Gara sharp-witted? Or is it just about good old fun?