'Is it me? The game plan? I'm not worried,' says Ronan O'Gara after another La Rochelle loss

Stuart Lancaster’s Racing went three points clear at the top by hammering Oyonnax.

Sat, 23 Dec, 2023 - 21:23

James Harrington

Ronan O’Gara insisted La Rochelle’s season ‘will click’ after his patched-up side lost 18-13 at Stade Francais on Saturday to head into Christmas on a three-match losing streak.

“I have a lot to think about,” he said. “We lacked precision and pace … Is it me? The game plan? I'm not worried, even though we're a long way off our best.”

The manager’s seasonal selection headache is destined to get worse before it gets better, with centre Jonathan Danty automatically suspended for next Saturday’s match against Toulouse following his red card for kicking prone opposite number Jeremy Ward early in the second half.

With Teddy Thomas still absent following his red card in the loss at Racing 92 at the end of November, Gregory Alldritt on extended leave until January, and Raymond Rhule, Matthias Haddad, Thierry Paiva and Pierre Bourgarit injured, the Rochelais have to juggle stretched resources into the New Year.

“The red complicates things,” O’Gara admitted. “[Danty is] coming off the World Cup, he played Leinster and Stormers. I’ll take the red... This was a match too far for him.

“We’re off the pace, but that can change quickly. Something has to change. We're too inaccurate. But I’m still confident. Things will click.” So difficult is the situation at hooker that O’Gara was forced to throw Tolu Latu straight into the action on Saturday five days after the Australian international had joined the club on loan from Montpellier.

Latu was named on the bench, coming on in the 53rd minute to score on his debut against the club he represented between 2019 and 2022.

Quentin Lespiaucq, back several weeks on the sidelines, started in the middle of the front row, in the absence of the impressive Bourgarit – who suffered a shoulder injury in last weekend’s Champions Cup loss against Stormers in Cape Town.

A converted Ward try was the difference between the two sides on the scoreboard at halftime, as the visitors paid the price for their own indiscipline.

Kylan Hamdaoui extended the Parisians’ lead shortly after the hour before Latu came up with the ball at the back of a maul to give the visitors a losing bonus point.

All Black legend Sam Whitelock was supposed to make his debut for Pau this weekend – but he suffered a concussion in training that prompted the club to change plans. Instead, he watched from the stands, as his new club won 22-11.

The domestic competition break has given Montpellier a desperately needed chance to reset. They headed into the Challenge Cup on an eight-match losing streak. They go into Christmas with three wins in a row, after they consolidated victories over Newcastle and Ospreys with a 31-20 home success over Castres, their first in the Top 14 since beating La Rochelle on opening day back in August.

The return to domestic competition after their first-ever steps in the Champions Cup came hard for Bayonne, as they lost 36-10 at 13th-placed Perpignan. The Basque side have not won on the road since November 2022, and never looked likely to break that run at Stade Aime Giral.

Lyon’s chances of a positive result at Bordeaux vanished in a flash of red as Romain Taofifenua was sent off for a dangerous clearout just before the end of the first half, when the score was 11-10 to the hosts. By the time the final whistle sounded, Yannick Bru’s side – fresh off big Champions Cup wins over Connacht and Bristol – were 46-10 ahead.

Nolan Le Garrec scored a hat-trick between the 32nd and 44th minute to resubmit a compelling application for a scrum-half berth at the 2024 Six Nations. Maxime Baudonne added two more of Racing 92’s 10 touchdowns as they beat Oyonnax 66-10 at La Defense Arena.

Julien Marchand and Dan Biggar both returned from injury for a battle royal between Toulouse and Toulon in the last Top 14 match before Christmas in front of a sold-out 33,000-plus crowd at Stadium Toulouse. The home side fought back from 14-0 down to go in at the break 14-12 behind, before pulling away in the second half to win 25-17.