RONAN O’GARA HAS ruled himself out of contention to become the next England head coach, but admits that he did receive contact from the RFU.
The Munster legend and La Rochelle boss has been recently linked with the position which will become vacant after next year’s World Cup. An opening may emerge even sooner should the under-fire Eddie Jones get sacked.
O’Gara is contracted in La Rochelle until 2024, and the Top 14 outfit has previously expressed their hope that he will remain in the position until then at least.
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Writing in his column for the Irish Examiner, O’Gara confirmed that he will be staying put, and stresses that no formal offer was extended to him about the England job.
“I had contact from the RFU. It’s England. If you get offered a gig like that – and I wasn’t, to be accurate – then you have to give it due consideration until such time as someone else gets the job or you officially eliminate yourself from the race. That was done in a very amicable conversation this week; ‘I’m not sure if I am making your job easier or harder, but… etc etc’.
“No hard feelings, we may meet again.”
O’Gara added that he’s “extremely happy” to stay with La Rochelle.
O’Gara first arrived at the club in 2019 to work as head coach under then director of rugby Jono Gibbes. He went on to take the reins in 2021 and led the Top 14 side to European glory in his first season in charge.
- First published at 9.59am, updated at 12.32pm to appear on The Journal.
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Ronan O'Gara 'had contact from RFU' but rules himself out of running for England job
RONAN O’GARA HAS ruled himself out of contention to become the next England head coach, but admits that he did receive contact from the RFU.
The Munster legend and La Rochelle boss has been recently linked with the position which will become vacant after next year’s World Cup. An opening may emerge even sooner should the under-fire Eddie Jones get sacked.
O’Gara is contracted in La Rochelle until 2024, and the Top 14 outfit has previously expressed their hope that he will remain in the position until then at least.
Writing in his column for the Irish Examiner, O’Gara confirmed that he will be staying put, and stresses that no formal offer was extended to him about the England job.
“I had contact from the RFU. It’s England. If you get offered a gig like that – and I wasn’t, to be accurate – then you have to give it due consideration until such time as someone else gets the job or you officially eliminate yourself from the race. That was done in a very amicable conversation this week; ‘I’m not sure if I am making your job easier or harder, but… etc etc’.
“No hard feelings, we may meet again.”
O’Gara added that he’s “extremely happy” to stay with La Rochelle.
O’Gara first arrived at the club in 2019 to work as head coach under then director of rugby Jono Gibbes. He went on to take the reins in 2021 and led the Top 14 side to European glory in his first season in charge.
- First published at 9.59am, updated at 12.32pm to appear on The Journal.
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decision made la rochelle RFU Ronan O'Gara