Elle Gordon catches up with La Rochelle head coach Ronan O'Gara to talk that win against Leinster, his eye for style, and life in France with his family.
Ronan O’Gara is surprised when I tell him I am from Cavan. He thought he detected a twang of somewhere else, he says. I am chuffed, as with a French side of the family, I’d quite like to think so, but unlike Ronan’s family, my mastery of languages stops at English. His children, on the other hand, are fluent in French and dab hands at Spanish too.
"They are nearly French at this stage. Nearly five years in Paris and nearly three in La Rochelle, so they haven’t been to school in Ireland. My twins are 13 and when they’re in school, no one knows they’re Irish kids. They speak with the perfect French accents. But I suppose that’s the same with any skill; the younger you learn, the better."
"Learning languages is a skill and it’s cool listening to them. They do Spanish in school as well. We were in Ibiza the other day and the 13-year-olds were ordering away in Spanish. It puts me to shame really, but it’s cool. But in terms of French, it’s what all their friends speak so if they want to get in with the gang they gotta speak French."
Even if the kids have left him behind when it comes to language skills, Ronan is very comfortable with life in France.
"I live in Île de Ré, which is a bit of a holiday destination for a lot of Irish people during the summer, but I live there all year round and it is obviously very quiet in winter. I have never really lived near the sea so it is new for me. In the pandemic, it’s been very beneficial to have the ocean nearby. You can get a lot of goodness out of it. I actually enjoyed the lockdown, probably a lot more than other people. It gave me a chance to recharge, to re-energise and re-focus."
But ties to home are never too far away for the former Munster and Ireland player, who led La Rochelle to claim a thrilling Heineken Champions Cup success, denying their Leinster opponents a fifth European star with a gripping win in Marseille at the end of May.
His team were considered the underdogs going into the match, so is he still riding high on the victory?
"No, because I suppose it’s different here. If you’re an Irish rugby player the season always ends on a championship weekend and then you go on a tour with your country. In France, the domestic season goes on for four weeks more. But we had a great few days with the people of La Rochelle afterward. I think the locals loved it and it was very joyous scene around the port of La Rochelle. It was a great season in Europe for sure, but there is always room for improvement."
Winning against Leinster is a great achievement, but naturally for an Irishman, it might be a complicated victory.
"Yeah, of course, it was Irish opposition but it would probably be different if it was Munster, because that’s my team and the team I played on for my whole sporting career as a player so the bond there is huge. But, you know, I have been entrusted to do a good job with the team in La Rochelle and so that was my focus."
Between coaching and looking after his family, Ronan says he has little time got much else. "I tend to be pretty consumed by my coaching and then the rest of the time is family time. They are the two big things for me. You probably get closer as a family when you live away, because we don’t have as many friends here. It can be a bit more isolated, I suppose. And then when I’m not with my family, I’m having fun with the rugby team."
People may not realise that Ronan has an eye for style. He first partnered with Irish menswear brand Benetti in 2021 and has fronted their new 2022 collection. Ronan says, he got involved with Benetti because "their clothes were impressive, but for me, their story is interesting."
Of course, living in France is likely to make anyone more style-conscious. Ronan says," It’s probably the time spent living in Paris. I had to up my game. When I got there first, I actually wore Crocs. I remember going into the training room and the French players… they didn’t really know me at this point…and they just kind of said, 'No, hang on a second! NO!’ when they saw the Crocs. I like the expression ‘Get better or get beaten’ and it applies with style as well."
"If you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good, you look good, and that’s how simple it is with Benetti. I like what they do and they like what I do and we get on. Would you believe I found the Crocs the other day? I was tidying out a room and I found them. I cleared out the cupboard and it was all the stuff that was there from my days with Racing Metro. So I came across a nice pair of Crocs and they’re back into the wardrobe!" he laughs.
Beyond the Crocs, what’s his go-to look? "I am capable of pulling off a kind of a jumper and blazer look which is good with jeans and a runner. Very French, very stylish."
The big question, will he ever come back to Ireland? "Of course, I would yeah. I would always come back home. It is quicker to fly Paris to Dublin than it is to drive from Cork to Dublin, so these things are all very manageable. What is very important to me is my family; they will be the ultimate decision-makers. There are six other people who have input into what my next move is. I think that is very important because for me to be able to do my job well, I have to make sure my wife and kids are happy and that supersedes everything."
Are they into sports? Ronan says, "They are all sporty, but I try and get them to do other sports. It’s hard because a lot of the time the times for soccer and rugby clash. I haven’t got them into golf just yet. I try and play a bit of tennis with them but they love rugby and they love soccer. My daughter and my wife love horse-riding so they have a horse which they ride out. My wife actually rides out race horses, so that is her buzz. She does that two or three times a week for her escape which is important and she’s big into yoga as well."
What is the name of the horse? "This is the first time I have ever had a blank… Babylon Rose. They take their animals' names quite seriously. We have a Jack Russell called Finn Russell and a French bulldog called Mabel too."
Speaking of tennis… does he enjoy watching it? "Yes, I love the grand slams. I love Federer and Nadal and I respect Djokovic. I was nearly moved to tears watching Nadal recently at Roland Garros. It was very powerful and it inspired us as a team for the next match we played."
Benetti’s Spring Summer '22 collection is available at selected retailers nationwide and online at benetti.ie.
