The Maritimes manager believes that there is still a lot of work to be done for Rochelais despite the victory against Toulon (19-15).
Ronan O’Gara (manager of La Rochelle, winner of Toulon 19-15): “There are a lot of positives but also a lot of frustration. There is a lot of progress in our game, we tried to develop it. Over time, what we saw will benefit us (…). It almost paid off for Toulon who prepared a good hold-up. Why didn’t we take the points (on penalty)? I don’t know. It was the players’ choice not to take the points. It’s an interesting aspect, but at times, you have to know how to play strategically. There was their 90-metre try which caused a bit of panic at the end, but we managed to stay interesting in the game. I want to say that I’m disappointed tonight but I won’t say it because winning in the Top 14 is always a satisfaction. There are still a lot of things to work on.”
Pierre Mignoni (Toulon manager, beaten in La Rochelle 19-15): “La Rochelle’s victory is deserved. We showed a lot of indiscipline. This is the first and last time. To be a great team, you have to be disciplined (…). I can accept the small errors due to the first match, but I saw far too many tonight. Fortunately we are not leaving empty-handed. We lost Charles (Ollivon) very early, which disorganized us a little, especially in the lineout. We will keep the defensive bonus point which is rather well paid.”
