THERE HAVE BEEN a fair few jokes about Ronan O’Gara’s role as defence coach at Top 14 outfit Racing 92, and it now transpires that even the club’s players have had a good-natured laugh at the former Ireland out-half’s expense.
O’Gara was a willing defender in his playing days, regularly putting his body in the firing line, but there was the occasional missed tackle against the giants of the professional game dotted throughout his career.
O'Gara has been the butt of a joke at Racing. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
Rugby clubs are famously relentless in their slagging and ROG’s defensive failings were highlighted recently, as Racing and France back row Bernard le Roux explains.
“We’ve actually got this WhatsApp group at Racing where we all post pics,” said le Roux with a laugh at France’s current World Cup base in the Vale Resort near Cardiff.
“The other day they posted a pic of someone running over Ronan O’Gara and said ‘Ah, our defensive coach!’
Straight after Alex Dumoulin, one of the other players, posted a video of all Ronan’s highlights of his career with ‘Just shut up, mate.’”
Well put Alexandre! A good lad is Dumoulin, ROG himself might say.
O’Gara is a “brilliant guy” according to le Roux, who believes the Racing assistant has a bright future in the coaching world.
“A brilliant coach with all his experience,” said le Roux, “such a brilliant lad as well. He makes a lot of fun around the team, his whole vibe, he lights up the team with his personality.
“Coaching-wise for the kickers and the backs it’s brilliant the way he sees the game. He sees things the way no other people see it. He tries things no other teams would. He’s got an awesome vision for the game.”
South Africa native le Roux has been part of the Racing project since 2009. Though he has qualified to represent France under the international residency rules, his surname is of French origin.
Le Roux in action against Ireland during the Six Nations. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
The 26-year-old had some research done three years ago and learned that some of his ancestors had lived in the Nantes region of the country a number of centuries ago.
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Le Roux was good enough as a youth to play provincial rugby with Boland up to U18 level, but a broken arm at that stage saw his interest in the sport waver.
Indeed, le Roux says he had a hope of pursuing studies in marine biology after school, but former Saracens and London Irish coach Alan Zondach convinced the back row that he had a special talent.
Zondach invited le Roux to join his Rugby Performance Centre, which is basically a rugby university for young men hoping to become pro players. Moorreesburg-born le Roux accepted the offer and so began a journey that has led him to the World Cup.
Pierre Berbizier was in charge of Racing in 2009 and was on the look-out for a medical joker to cover injures for a period of three months. Le Roux – having already played with with Boland Cavaliers and the Border Bulldogs – flew in, fulfilled the demands and impressed so much that Racing offered him a full-time deal.
Having fallen in love with Paris almost instantly, there was no hesitation from le Roux in signing the contract, meaning he has lived through the club’s transformation in recent years.
“It’s amazing,” said le Roux. “When I got there it was a small club and had just got into the Top 14. There were obviously big players; Sébastien Chabal, Andrew Mehrtens, all the superstars, François Steyn.
“Jacky Lorenzetti is the owner of the club and invested a huge amount of money into building the club. Now we’ve got probably the best training facilities in the Northern Hemisphere.
“They’re building a new stadium, it’s grown so much, Dan Carter is coming. I think the club is really developing. We haven’t got the results we wanted in the last four years, quarter-finals, semi-finals every year, but we’re slowly getting there.”
Le Roux is a ferocious competitor.
Lorenzetti is a fascinating figure and le Roux explains that the multi-millionaire real estate magnate is an everyday presence around Racing’s impressive training centre in Le Plessis-Robinson.
“A good guy,” said le Roux, “real open, you can speak to him any time.”
The club president even helps his players with investments if that’s how they decide to use the wages he pays them. Racing are moving forward inch by inch certainly, but one man who won’t be part of the growth in the coming seasons is Johnny Sexton.
Le Roux says he became good friends with the Ireland out-half during his two years in Paris, living just a few houses down the street from Sexton.
He’s so hard on himself,” said Le Roux, “so precise. Obviously a guy to look out for this weekend. Really good kicking game that puts a team under pressure but if you put him under pressure it can change the game. He has good points and weak points.”
Le Roux believes Sexton has returned to Leinster and Ireland a better player than the one who left.
“I think he has experienced training with Ronan O’Gara every day; he did so much individual work and I think he has progressed as a player,” said le Roux. “I see the way he plays.
“He has helped Ireland to progress to being one of the best teams in the work and he definitely has got a big influence on the team. He is a really big, big player.”
Racing coach Laurent Labit had some interesting words this week about Sexton’s famously cranky demands on his teammates on the training pitch and during games, suggesting that Sexton went overboard with his reprimands at times.
Le Roux says he personally had no issue with the harsh words from Sexton.
Le Roux believes Sexton has moved back to Ireland a better player. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
“He is such a perfectionist, he wants everything perfect. If you’re a metre light or a metre short you can hear as he tells you straight out and not nicely,” said le Roux with a laugh and a shake of the head. “He just goes mad sometimes.
“Like I said, he is hard on himself as a perfectionist. That is why he is playing rugby and all credit to him, he is not a bad bloke. I know off the field and on the field he always wants the best out of all his players.
“That’s why he pushes everyone around the park a lot and he talks a lot. He doesn’t always communicate in the best way but he still communicates in a good way and he gets the most out of the players around him.
Afterwards we’re all mates, have a beer and forget what happened on the field.”
Sexton and le Roux might not have the opportunity to do so on Sunday night in Cardiff after what will certainly be an utterly bruising contest between Ireland and Philippe Saint-André’s France.
Le Roux appears likely to play his part off the bench, although Saint-André was believed to be considering starting him ahead of Damien Chouly earlier in the week. An abrasive, hard-working presence on the openside, le Roux will relish getting in Sexton’s face.
Having qualified to play for les Blues after his first three years in the country, le Roux was called up to the national squad in 2013 for a tour of New Zealand. He started a midweek game against the Blues and then made his full debut against the Kiwis in a harrowing 30-0 defeat in Christchurch.
Le Roux has been an ever-present in Saint-André’s playing group since, however, and stresses that they are in the best shape physically, mentally and in terms of structures that he has experienced.
When he gets back outside the World Cup bubble, le Roux looks forward to helping Racing 92′s rise in the Top 14 and Champions Cup. He will also continue his studies in business, marketing and management, sitting exams in the South African embassy in Paris.
Le Roux is likely to be in the thick of the action on Sunday. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
A smart cookie this one, le Roux says “it’s always good to have something else.” Right now though, it’s all about the Rugby World Cup and Sunday evening in Cardiff against Joe Schmidt’s Ireland.
“We don’t really care about what happens outside of the group,” said le Roux. “We are well prepared, we have had a brilliant pre-season, we are where we want to be after winning the first three pool games.
“We have made a few errors but it is stuff we can work on. We are happy and very confident.”
'They posted a pic of someone running over ROG in our WhatsApp group'
Murray Kinsella reports from the Vale Resort
THERE HAVE BEEN a fair few jokes about Ronan O’Gara’s role as defence coach at Top 14 outfit Racing 92, and it now transpires that even the club’s players have had a good-natured laugh at the former Ireland out-half’s expense.
O’Gara was a willing defender in his playing days, regularly putting his body in the firing line, but there was the occasional missed tackle against the giants of the professional game dotted throughout his career.
Rugby clubs are famously relentless in their slagging and ROG’s defensive failings were highlighted recently, as Racing and France back row Bernard le Roux explains.
“We’ve actually got this WhatsApp group at Racing where we all post pics,” said le Roux with a laugh at France’s current World Cup base in the Vale Resort near Cardiff.
“The other day they posted a pic of someone running over Ronan O’Gara and said ‘Ah, our defensive coach!’
Well put Alexandre! A good lad is Dumoulin, ROG himself might say.
O’Gara is a “brilliant guy” according to le Roux, who believes the Racing assistant has a bright future in the coaching world.
“A brilliant coach with all his experience,” said le Roux, “such a brilliant lad as well. He makes a lot of fun around the team, his whole vibe, he lights up the team with his personality.
“Coaching-wise for the kickers and the backs it’s brilliant the way he sees the game. He sees things the way no other people see it. He tries things no other teams would. He’s got an awesome vision for the game.”
South Africa native le Roux has been part of the Racing project since 2009. Though he has qualified to represent France under the international residency rules, his surname is of French origin.
The 26-year-old had some research done three years ago and learned that some of his ancestors had lived in the Nantes region of the country a number of centuries ago.
Le Roux was good enough as a youth to play provincial rugby with Boland up to U18 level, but a broken arm at that stage saw his interest in the sport waver.
Indeed, le Roux says he had a hope of pursuing studies in marine biology after school, but former Saracens and London Irish coach Alan Zondach convinced the back row that he had a special talent.
Zondach invited le Roux to join his Rugby Performance Centre, which is basically a rugby university for young men hoping to become pro players. Moorreesburg-born le Roux accepted the offer and so began a journey that has led him to the World Cup.
Pierre Berbizier was in charge of Racing in 2009 and was on the look-out for a medical joker to cover injures for a period of three months. Le Roux – having already played with with Boland Cavaliers and the Border Bulldogs – flew in, fulfilled the demands and impressed so much that Racing offered him a full-time deal.
Having fallen in love with Paris almost instantly, there was no hesitation from le Roux in signing the contract, meaning he has lived through the club’s transformation in recent years.
“It’s amazing,” said le Roux. “When I got there it was a small club and had just got into the Top 14. There were obviously big players; Sébastien Chabal, Andrew Mehrtens, all the superstars, François Steyn.
“Jacky Lorenzetti is the owner of the club and invested a huge amount of money into building the club. Now we’ve got probably the best training facilities in the Northern Hemisphere.
“They’re building a new stadium, it’s grown so much, Dan Carter is coming. I think the club is really developing. We haven’t got the results we wanted in the last four years, quarter-finals, semi-finals every year, but we’re slowly getting there.”
Lorenzetti is a fascinating figure and le Roux explains that the multi-millionaire real estate magnate is an everyday presence around Racing’s impressive training centre in Le Plessis-Robinson.
“A good guy,” said le Roux, “real open, you can speak to him any time.”
The club president even helps his players with investments if that’s how they decide to use the wages he pays them. Racing are moving forward inch by inch certainly, but one man who won’t be part of the growth in the coming seasons is Johnny Sexton.
Le Roux says he became good friends with the Ireland out-half during his two years in Paris, living just a few houses down the street from Sexton.
Le Roux believes Sexton has returned to Leinster and Ireland a better player than the one who left.
“I think he has experienced training with Ronan O’Gara every day; he did so much individual work and I think he has progressed as a player,” said le Roux. “I see the way he plays.
“He has helped Ireland to progress to being one of the best teams in the work and he definitely has got a big influence on the team. He is a really big, big player.”
Racing coach Laurent Labit had some interesting words this week about Sexton’s famously cranky demands on his teammates on the training pitch and during games, suggesting that Sexton went overboard with his reprimands at times.
Le Roux says he personally had no issue with the harsh words from Sexton.
“He is such a perfectionist, he wants everything perfect. If you’re a metre light or a metre short you can hear as he tells you straight out and not nicely,” said le Roux with a laugh and a shake of the head. “He just goes mad sometimes.
“Like I said, he is hard on himself as a perfectionist. That is why he is playing rugby and all credit to him, he is not a bad bloke. I know off the field and on the field he always wants the best out of all his players.
“That’s why he pushes everyone around the park a lot and he talks a lot. He doesn’t always communicate in the best way but he still communicates in a good way and he gets the most out of the players around him.
Sexton and le Roux might not have the opportunity to do so on Sunday night in Cardiff after what will certainly be an utterly bruising contest between Ireland and Philippe Saint-André’s France.
Le Roux appears likely to play his part off the bench, although Saint-André was believed to be considering starting him ahead of Damien Chouly earlier in the week. An abrasive, hard-working presence on the openside, le Roux will relish getting in Sexton’s face.
Having qualified to play for les Blues after his first three years in the country, le Roux was called up to the national squad in 2013 for a tour of New Zealand. He started a midweek game against the Blues and then made his full debut against the Kiwis in a harrowing 30-0 defeat in Christchurch.
Le Roux has been an ever-present in Saint-André’s playing group since, however, and stresses that they are in the best shape physically, mentally and in terms of structures that he has experienced.
When he gets back outside the World Cup bubble, le Roux looks forward to helping Racing 92′s rise in the Top 14 and Champions Cup. He will also continue his studies in business, marketing and management, sitting exams in the South African embassy in Paris.
A smart cookie this one, le Roux says “it’s always good to have something else.” Right now though, it’s all about the Rugby World Cup and Sunday evening in Cardiff against Joe Schmidt’s Ireland.
“We don’t really care about what happens outside of the group,” said le Roux. “We are well prepared, we have had a brilliant pre-season, we are where we want to be after winning the first three pool games.
“We have made a few errors but it is stuff we can work on. We are happy and very confident.”
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