Gutted O'Gara curses 'top class' kick - 'For a second I thought Jack Crowley was with me'

Ronan O'Gara admitted his first meeting as an opposition coach against Munster had made for a strange and surreal day.

La Rochelle head coach Ronan O'Gara before the Investec Champions Cup Round of 16 match between La Rochelle and Munster at Stade Marcel Deflandre in La Rochelle, France. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Ronan O’Gara praised “that little fucker” Jack Crowley’s match-winning drop goal as Munster knocked La Rochelle side out of the Champions Cup, then admitted their nine-match winless streak had left the club in “freefall”.

Crowley’s 65th-minute drop goal in front of childhood hero and Munster legend O’Gara was the difference in this Champions Cup Round of 16 thriller at Stade Marcel-Deflandre on Saturday, pushing the visitors into a 25-17 lead and allowing them to run out 25-24 winners. It meant the end of the road for La Rochelle, whom O’Gara had guided to three of the last four European finals, winning the trophy twice in 2022 and 2023 to add to the two titles he won as Munster’s fly-half in 2006 and 2008.

His own drop goals had delivered famous victories for both Ireland and Munster, becoming the stuff of legend and the Corkman’s connections with his old club still run deep with the province’s all-time record points scorer making a point of visiting the away dressing room at full time to acknowledge their victory.

“It's important. I'm obviously gutted but I think you've got to compliment and congratulate Munster on how they constructed their victory,” O’Gara said.

La Rochelle head coach Ronan O'Gara, centre, watches on during the Investec Champions Cup Round of 16 match between La Rochelle and Munster at Stade Marcel Deflandre in La Rochelle, France. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

“It was pretty ironic how they won it, getting it out to eight points with a peach of a drop goal. I was thinking 'that little fucker'.

“I've seen a lot of good drop goals but that's a top-class one at a moment that just probably takes the decision away from the referee too, with a five-point game, maybe you're thinking okay we're going to have a chance.

“But it was a brilliant kick. (Craig) Casey kicked brilliantly and they took their opportunities, we didn't. You can analyse deeply into it but that's a pretty fast summation of it.” 

The former Munster man, who scored 2571 points for the province in 236 appearances in 16 seasons before his retirement as a player in the summer of 2013, admitted his first meeting as an opposition coach against his old club had made for a strange and, at one point, surreal day.

“For a second I thought Jack Crowley was with me, I was like ’fuck, that's the wrong team’.

“I was hoping that would turn our season today but we have to go back to the drawing board now and see what can be resurrected.” 

The defeat leaves La Rochelle to concentrate on rescuing their Top 14 campaign after a miserable run of form which has seen them slide to 10th in the league standings and fighting to make the end of season play-offs and earn a place in next season’s Champions Cup.

They next travel to second-bottom club Perpignan, just eight points behind O’Gara’s side, on April 19 and the head coach admitted his squad was lacking both confidence and belief.

“We're in freefall, so for Top 14 it's the same standard, if not better with teams coming. The opposition isn't going to get any weaker and we're missing a key ingredient which is belief and confidence but we have to find that quickly.

“I'm gutted for our supporters, for our players, but I think the way the season was going, the real battle is Top 14 now.

“We need to be disappointed for a few days and then get back with a plan to see how we can move up the table.”