Record holder of points scored in the Champions Cup, Ronan O’Gara seems to have started on the same basis as a manager, after achieving a formidable double with La Rochelle which he readily attributes to the determination of his men.
What is your first feeling after this second consecutive European title?
It’s incredibly good, because we were really bad at the start of the match. We suffered a steamroller during the first quarter of an hour. We knew they were going to offer us some tips but not that, after 45 seconds. Leinster really made a fantastic start. After 5 minutes it was 12-0, then 17-0 in the 11e… It was very complicated, that was obviously not the plan. We have developed a very interesting culture within the team. It would have been easy to give up under these conditions, and the players did the exact opposite. They pulled off a mammoth 23-man effort and showed the determination of true champions
What did you fear after Leinster’s supersonic start to the match?
It wasn’t an ideal start for us, indeed… We had imagined a lot of scenarios during the week but being down 17-0 after 11 minutes would never have occurred to us. At the start, Leinster was possessed. There were plenty of times when they even physically dominated us, I remember an attacking tackle on Seuteni. But what is good with my group is that with him, there is never panic. After Leinster’s 15 minutes of madness, we made one or two silly mistakes too many in the first half, but it was becoming increasingly clear that we too were dangerous when we carried the ball.
We convinced ourselves that it had to pay off in the second half. We first found solutions in the middle of the field, then we pressed a lot on our carried balls which were not all rewarded, and we will watch the video to find out why. We were given nothing, proof of this is the very severe card that Tawera Kerr-Barlow received. And yet, we insisted, we wore them down and we broke them at the end, like in Marseille.
The epic success of La Rochelle against Leinster (27-26) is unreal and is one of the greatest exploits of French rugby. But is this victory the greatest performance of a club in France?https://t.co/duuiNWak61
— RUGBYRAMA (@RugbyramaFR) May 21, 2023
With the difference that this year, you also had to show character to defend your goal line until the end…
Indeed, after the transformation of Antoine Hastoy, there were 8 minutes left and Leinster began to bombard our line. We were reduced to 14 after Jonathan Danty’s yellow card, they got closer to the in-goal and they took the red card… It’s a shame for Ala’alatoa, frankly. To move the bodies to the clearing, it is necessary to arrive at this speed. Maybe his arm was misplaced but a red card was disappointing for that player. He is aggressive in his game, but loyal.
And now, what is the goal?
The group is progressing, the boys are in the semi-finals of the Top 14, we hadn’t really made a plan for the Champions Cup post-final. We will first enjoy, then train on Wednesday and Thursday before our match on Saturday against Stade Français. But honestly, the important game is the one that just happened, not the next one.