Ronan O'Gara exclusive: Munster love remains but that doesn't mean I'll ever coach there
ALWAYS RED: The greatest days of my rugby life were in that Munster top but I’m not interested in the Munster head coach role. Not now and hardly in the future.
It's all relative, not red. We, as in La Rochelle, got nilled by Montpellier in a mudbath last Saturday. My players say they don’t dig cranky Rog. Nor do I. We have injuries mounting and November internationals to contend with, but we don’t go there, because the excuse is the first refuge of the weak.
Nevertheless there are grind periods, with gruel as the sole ingredient. After Saturday night against Stade Francais, we get two weeks of a break. It’s sorely needed. My contract in La Rochelle runs to the end of the 2027 campaign and that feels like the moon from here. So where are we going and not going? The best way we can get better is create a culture where our internationals are not the cornerstones of the team. So the coach has to give others the opportunity to stake a claim, a real opportunity. And if they take that opportunity, the hard decision arises whether to perhaps leave the internationals out for big games down the road. Otherwise, you are a bluffer, basing everything on reputation. I can see how squad players here could be frustrated because they feel they haven’t got enough of a chance. I am loyal to guys who have won European Cups but even Real Madrid need to be re-infused with fresh blood from time to time. We have a couple of talents coming through the door next season. I’m looking at my watch. But in the meantime, we have a Bouclier to challenge for.
