O'Gara hits out at 'little team' treatment as EPCR investigate half-time incident

La Rochelle boss savours back-to-back European triumphs but has sharp words for Leinster's actions as organisers probe Aviva 'altercation'

Sun, 21 May, 2023 - 16:18

Simon Lewis, Dublin

Ronan O’Gara claims La Rochelle had been treated like a “little team” following their thrilling 27-26 Heineken Champions Cup final victory over Leinster at Aviva Stadium on Saturday with competition organisers EPCR also launching an investigation into a reported half-time altercation between members of the two sides.

O’Gara’s club claimed back-to-back titles with a second successive victory over the Irish province, backing up last season’s victory in Marseille, secured with an 80th-minute try in a 24-21 win, with another come-from-behind success against Leo Cullen’s side.

A 72nd-minute try from replacement prop Georges-Henri Colombe, converted by Antoine Hastoy, pushed La Rochelle into the lead for the first time in the game after Leinster had raced into a 17-0 lead with three tries in the first 11 minutes. The Top 14 side had trailed 23-14 at half-time but Colombe’s try completed the comeback to spark wild celebrations on the pitch and from a large travelling band of supporters from the port town on the French Atlantic coast.

EPCR have also issued a statement on Saturday which read: “EPCR is aware of reports of an incident at half-time during the Heineken Champions Cup final at the Aviva Stadium and the tournament organiser will be investigating this as soon as practicable. We have no further comment at this time.”

Separately, the source of some resentment from La Rochelle became apparent in the post-match media conference when club captain Gregory Alldritt alleged Leinster skipper James Ryan had not made eye contact with him during the pre-game coin toss to decide ends.

"From the toss, already, we were not respected,” Alldritt said via a translator. “He didn't look me in the eye when he shook my hand. And that should not be done. There are a lot of values in our club, respect is one. Going to 17-7, it was a whole different game. At 23-14, the dynamic was for us."

FAMILY AFFAIR: La Rochelle’s Ronan O'Gara celebrates after the game with his mother Joan. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie

O’Gara, savouring his fourth Champions Cup success following his victories with Munster as a player in 2006 and 2008, backed his captain’s assertion, which has been privately dismissed by Leinster, and also suggested La Rochelle had not been accommodated for their post-match celebrations within Aviva Stadium, although the match venue was under the operational management of competition organisers EPCR rather than the Irish province.

Speaking of the perceived slight by Ryan, O’Gara said: “Yeah, I got word of it down on the pitch. Obviously I have a close relationship with my captain. A bizarre action when they were going for the toss.

“Normally you engage eyes and no eyes were engaged. Greg was disappointed and let down. There was a little bit of that in terms of… obviously Leinster were the home team in terms of accommodation for the families, post-match gigs.

“I think we’re in Lansdowne (Rugby Club), we couldn’t get a room in this place. It’s disappointing on that front but we’ve got to accept that we’re seen as the little team, but that’s about to change.”

The La Rochelle media conference had taken place after the losing finalists, for whom head coach Cullen rued Leinster’s inability to successfully manage their lead after half-time.

"The dressing-room now is pretty gutted as you can imagine because it means so much for the players and everyone who worked so hard to get to this point,” Cullen said.

"It was so, so close wasn't it? Unbelievably close, you start the game really well with lots of really positive things in the first-half but the flip-side of that is the second-half - even though we come up with some good turnovers at our end of the field, we didn't exit that well.

"It just means we're feeding La Rochelle possession and territory, it's tight margins.

"They managed to get over the try-line at the end of the game this time last year and we're in that situation this year and we can't get over the line.

"So, that's how close it is. It's come down to the closest of margins in the end, unfortunately on both sides we haven't been good enough to do it.”

This was Leinster’s third European final defeat in the five seasons since they won a fourth title in 2018 and Saturday’s game marked the end of senior coach Stuart Lancaster’s seven-year tenure with the club.

Cullen added: "For our guys, we have to stay at it and keep believing that they'll get there.

"For now, that's it. This season is done, our group changes now so that's the way it happens at the end of every season; so we've some players who will move on.

"We'll celebrate their time in the next little while, then we'll go again.

"Unbelievably tight game, tightest of margins. There's things that guys will look back on with regret, similar to last year. Unfortunately it's just not to be today.

"The big thing is not to lose heart, we were up against a very good team."

For O’Gara, though, there was admiration for his side’s character in responding so resiliently to the concession of three tries inside 11 minutes, the first of them after just 45 seconds when Leinster struck through Dan Sheehan after a clever lineout move wrong-footed La Rochelle.

“It was incredibly good because we were on the ropes big time obviously. We were being steamrolled by a very impressive team.

“I knew Goody (Andrew Goodman, the Leinster assistant coach) would have a special one or two sleeve, but I didn’t quite expect it after whatever 45 seconds, so it was a great play they opened their bag with. It was 7-0 within six minutes and then 12-0 and within 11 minutes, it’s 17-0 so you’re not long away from getting hosed, which obviously wasn’t the plan coming here.

“So, we’ve a very interesting culture in our team. It’s chanted a lot. The boys really care. I think it was easy to jump ship today. They did the opposite. It was a 23-man effort.

“They dug in. They showed serious resolve and I think we’re worthy champions.”