Marked by the laborious performance last night of Stade Rochelais, winner at the last minute (22-19) of a very revamped and rejuvenated Stade Toulousain at Deflandre, Ronan O'Gara stayed for more than a quarter of an hour at a press conference to deliver a lucid observation on a team “in pain”. But with the conviction that the tipping point is not that far away.
Is this a bitter-tasting victory?
Oui. I think that tomorrow (Sunday) morning, we will appreciate the four points. But right now, it's… it's… like a defeat! It's hard right now. We need to change something. If I knew what, I would have done it already. We are suffering, our game is suffering. (We don’t take) any pleasure. But that can change. Everyone is negative, but it happens because success creates a lot of problems. And the success (two Champions Cup titles, Editor’s note) is really in the past. We need to stop talking about success. But real competitors stick together and work harder. And that's my goal. I'm the leader. And we're going to start that Monday, Tuesday. Despite everything, we are in the six (first in the ranking). When we are able to string together a few phases, we will be interesting. It's up to us to turn the wheel.
Toulouse leaves Deflandre with the assurance of having a third team capable of performing. And you, how many “team(s)” do you think you have?
It's not easy when it's hard, but you learn a lot when it is. The weak men, one or two, have already escaped. The others… I think I can count on more than 35 (players). You didn't see it, I didn't see it (tonight). But they didn't become bad players in three or six months. I think I'm more responsible than them. It's the truth. With some, demandingness is confused with negativity. But it is certain that I “frozen” a lot of players, not being able to handle the pressure put on them. This is a good lesson for me. I have to change my management a little and we have to change the spirit a little and I hope that it will result in something more positive.
How are you coping with this delicate period, which should make you think?
I always think a lot. I love sports. From 18 to 30, I was more of an “underdog” than Nadal or Federer. I have confidence. With me, we will find solutions, quickly. Leinster arrives on Sunday. Maybe this is the wake-up call we need.
In a suspenseful encounter, La Rochelle won without shining against an extremely rejuvenated Toulouse team (19-16). Stade Rochelais relied on a final penalty from Antoine Hastoy at the siren.
The match film > https://t.co/3aPdlGtksL pic.twitter.com/VOmKbKncMY
— RUGBYRAMA (@RugbyramaFR) https://twitter.com/RugbyramaFR/status/1875665645339340952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
What do you take away from this very end of the match and this decisive penalty from Antoine Hastoy after the siren?
A huge positive point, it's the kick-off (after Delpy's equalizing drop). We didn't hit to attack the ball. If there is a knock-on or a foul, the match is over. What's good is that when it's super hard, they (my players) have the ability to hold the ball, to advance, to win a penalty. Antoine was in pain, he continued to work, he received the biggest reward with a difficult penalty in injury time, he put the ball in the middle. I'm super happy for Antoine because I'm demanding of him. But I see a very high “limit” for him. I almost “cracked” him but he came back stronger. Bravo to him! It's not the only positive, but it's a very important positive tonight.
Is this the most “difficult” period you have been going through since your arrival in La Rochelle in the summer of 2019?
I remember one Sunday morning when I was last in the championship. If La Rochelle is last, that bothers me but we are… I'm not going to avoid the tough questions because we're in a tough situation. But we are alive, life is beautiful, we will react.
Is your team capable of beating Leinster next Sunday and achieving the objective set (Top 14-Champions Cup double) at the start of the season?
It's a good question, but I'm not going to lose confidence in my players. It's a difficult time, but in English we say “when it rains, it pours” (an expression that can be translated as “misfortune never comes alone”). That's how it is at the moment. Since my time at Crusaders, I see the glass half full now. But, at the moment, everyone, and me too in recent months, has seen the team half empty. And it’s not going to change like that (he snaps his fingers). Toulouse are not the right team to try and change, especially with the team they have chosen. I'm not looking for excuses, I'm always looking for progression. I think that if everyone improves their investment and rugby is the real priority… There are so many good players who, at the moment, are not expressing themselves, I said that some are “frozen” by my demands and my speech, but it will be released very soon.
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Would you say that your message is getting across less well than before, or that it is less “heard” by your players? Or is that not the problem?
No. I think maybe it wasn't a good message… If we speak precisely, we did a good job at Bath, against Bristol. Average against Clermont but we changed the team to Perpignan and I was too demanding of the team sent to Perpi and that remains a bit. Tonight was… The players and I have to give more. That's the goal for this week. Maybe it won't work, in four weeks or in four months. But the goal in life is to try.
Is the lack of speed observed physical? Are your players having trouble accelerating?
No, I don't think so, because we are much more “fit” than last year. This is another negative rumor which, like the others, is everywhere in La Rochelle at the moment. It's normal, it's a difficult time. We wish it wasn't but it's not enough just to say that we want to win the Champions Cup year after year, real life doesn't work like that. We need to work hard, rework and forget the past. We need to look for a recipe to get a shield, which the club has never done. But we need to change the atmosphere. The atmosphere is negative everywhere.
