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European Professional Club Rugby | O’Gara challenges La Rochelle to ‘thrive’ in ‘lion’s den’
Stade Rochelais head coach Ronan O’Gara has told his players they must front up to the task of facing Leinster Rugby in Dublin in Saturday’s Heineken Champions Cup final.
The former Ireland fly-half is seeking back-to-back titles with La Rochelle, but the Leinster side they overcame in last year will be buoyed by a sell-out crowd in their home city tomorrow.
O’Gara explained the mentality at La Rochelle and how moments like the Heineken Champions Cup final are the pinnacle of players’ careers.
“We do have fun, but we have high standards,” he said. “We have ambition to do something special in these players’ lives.
“I’m not really interested in having a job. I love what I do. We love what we do. We get the chance tomorrow to play for each other in the final of the Heineken Champions Cup. It’s doesn’t get any better, it doesn’t get any bigger.
BOTH SIDES GO FULL STRENGTH 🤩
Lowe straight back in, Danty returns to face Henshaw, Molony in over Jenkins…
Biggest headline? 👀
Full #HeinekenChampionsCup Final @leinsterrugby v @staderochelais squads ➡️ pic.twitter.com/mNX4QF4FuZ
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) May 19, 2023
“In the home of Leinster, it’s a really daunting task but it’s a great challenge and one that we want to succeed in.
“The big emphasis for us is performing to our standards. Having fun, challenging yourself. It won’t be easy, it never is easy.
“There’s a certain delight or enjoyment factor when you go into the lion’s den. We’re going to enter that tomorrow and you either grow or you shrink.
“What I’ve seen from my boys is that they love it. They care for each other. They’ve prepared all season for this game and it’s to be attacked as opposed to being feared.
“As a player I think I would’ve been damn nervous about it. As a coach, I’m extremely excited about it and where else do you want to be?
“Heineken Champions Cup final in Dublin. We’re here and we’re ready to go.”
Even when you think you might have stopped @staderochelais… 👀
Check out their top tries in #HeinekenChampionsCup this season ➡️ pic.twitter.com/YaCfanNJOJ
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) May 17, 2023
O’Gara insisted there has been no problem motivating his players to gun for the Heineken Champions Cup again this year, with La Rochelle having secured a maiden EPCR honour when they triumphed in Marseille in 2022.
“We’ve got a good leadership group, we’ve got huge ambition,” he said. “We’re going to get better. There’s a big appetite from the boys
“We’re lucky with our club that we’ve got a good president and CEO, who are aligned in our vision of where we want to go in the French game or in any club game.
“You can either survive or you can thrive, and we want to thrive. I push them (the players), they all know their limit.
“Tomorrow it will be another big day for club, because if we play like we did against Exeter (in the semi-finals), we’re a tough team.”
