It feels as though we are only ever a few weeks away from another rugby pundit linking Ronan O’Gara to either the Munster job, the Ireland job, or both.
O’Gara has enjoyed tremendous success in his seven years as La Rochelle head coach, transforming a club who had never won major silverware to back-to-back European champions.
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Though ROG appears to be perfectly settled in the French city, he has entertained talk of departing the club when his contract expires at the end of the 2026-27 season.
O’Gara has predominantly been tipped to succeed Andy Farrell as Ireland head coach, though links to the Munster job are never far away and he has even been mentioned as a future England or France head coach.
Just last month, Scotland legend Jim Hamilton claimed he had heard whispers that O’Gara was in talks with the IRFU to replace Farrell after the 2027 World Cup.
O’Gara himself has, on occasion, hinted at other jobs he could see himself working at in the future. He has (publicly or privately) responded to speculation linking him to jobs in Australia, England, France and Ireland, and directly admitted that his future at La Rochelle was in doubt during a downturn in form last January.
He has now admitted that such talk may have been a mistake while tied down at La Rochelle.
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Ronan O’Gara admits mistake in discussing Ireland job
17 December 2022; La Rochelle head coach Ronan O’Gara, right, and Ireland head coach Andy Farrell before the Heineken Champions Cup Pool B Round 2 match between Ulster and La Rochelle at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Ronan O’Gara spoke to the Irish Examiner at a special Six Nations preview event this week, and addressed the persistent links between him and a return to Ireland.
O’Gara suggested previous remarks about moving away from La Rochelle were taken “out of context,” and said that he had learned not to tease moving away while still head coach at La Rochelle.
“When you start talking about other alternatives as a job, you send a bad message to the players, to the club president,” O’Gara said.
“Ever since that I haven’t spoken about another job and I never will speak about another job because I am very happy here at this brilliant club.”
O’Gara was then far more tactical in how he addressed the rumours that he could take over from Andy Farrell as Ireland head coach, or one day return to Munster.
Andy is doing a brilliant job with Ireland…I don’t have a leg to stand on in terms of the Irish job.
With Munster, who knows in terms of the future, but where I am mentally at the minute, I wouldn’t be swapping any job in the world for my club job.
It seems as though Ronan O’Gara’s head is firmly in France for now, but that will not stop Ireland fans dreaming of him one day leading the team into the Six Nations.
ROG will be on punditry duty for ITV at this year’s tournament, which gets underway in Paris on Thursday with the mouthwatering clash of France and Ireland.
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