Ronan O'Gara: Am I living in some parallel universe where consistency is a thing?

The psychology of the game in France still grinds my gears like you wouldn’t believe. For 33 minutes at Stade Francais, I was sitting back, delighted with myself, thinking ‘this is why you coach'.

TEAMS TO BEAT: Anthony Jelonch and Toulouse came up short against Bordeaux at the Stade Chaban Delmas last weekend. They are two of the form teams in Europe at present. Picture: Lionel Hahnm Getty Images

Fri, 10 Dec, 2021 - 11:55

Ronan O’Gara

An Irish rugby legend and record‑setting out‑half turned elite coach with La Rochelle. A prominent pundit known for frank, compelling, agenda-setting analysis.

So, it’s been quite the week. We were still sat in our Stade Francais dressing room at midnight last Sunday, seething – in fact, all but frothing – at a 25-20 Top 14 defeat in a game we led 20-6 at one stage.

An 8am Monday train journey back from Paris to La Rochelle made for a bad night’s sleep and no-one’s mood improved appreciably as we pored over the clips from the night before.