Top 14 – Ronan O’Gara after Racing 92 – La Rochelle: “We are six levels below Toulouse”

How do you analyze this meeting?

It was a real Top 14 match. I remember the four points from the victory but the content… (he cuts) There is a lot of work to do, in short. I’ll sleep well thanks to the victory but tomorrow, we’ll go back to work because currently, we’re six levels below Toulouse.

How to explain this waste?

We make a lot of small mistakes and so I have to create a favorable environment to prevent them from happening as much. In the game, we played too wide without being effective. We should have tightened the Racing defense before moving the balls away. We don’t play beach rugby in the Top 14… Playing for the sake of playing doesn’t work.

We follow you.

I am not a negative man. It’s super difficult to win away from home in the Top 14 and it’s a miracle that we won in Créteil, if you look at the content. Last year, however, we would have lost this meeting. This is what you have to remember.

How is Gregory Alldritt doing? He came off injured at the start of the second period…

Greg is ok. Before the match, he had a bit of a tight calf and some pain in his arm. It’s my fault for putting him on the scoresheet and he will be rested next week.

What did you say to Teddy Iribaren, author of the winning penalty at the end of the match?

Teddy is a player who doesn’t play often. He is frustrated and his coach too because I was the one who recruited him. This evening (Saturday evening, Editor’s note), I am very happy for him. The biggest winner of this match was Teddy Iribaren: with all the pressure he had on this final penalty, he showed all his composure and talent.

Has Racingman Nolann Le Garrec, who will join you next season, demonstrated all his talent to you in Créteil?

I never asked myself this question. Nolann is a high-class player, everyone knows that. But his case is not the topic of the moment: we have other things to think about this season.