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Published 11:27 21 May 2023 BST
Updated 00:10 22 May 2023 BST
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La Rochelle head coach Ronan O'Gara, centre, with Romain Sazy, left, and Grégory Alldritt after the Heineken Champions Cup Final. (Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile)[/caption]
"You have data for everything," Ronan O'Gara observed in the post-match press conference, "but you don’t have data for character."
La Rochelle found themselves 17-0 down after 12 minutes and were 23-7 behind after 37 minutes. They scored through UJ Seuteni before half-time and dominated the second half to win 27-26 and leave Leinster heartbroken.In the lead-up to the match, from the moment La Rochelle monstered Exeter in the semi-finals, the Cork native has played it to perfection. He started off by saying how much tougher a slog the Top 14 was, compared to the United Rugby Championship [with its' country-hopping format]. Those comments had Leinster answering questions and almost having to defend themselves in their next press briefing. O'Gara then spent the next couple of weeks stressing that Leinster were the team to beat and the side with everything going in their favour - final in their home ground, ability to rest and rotate players, home comforts and perks for players and staff. Little old La Rochelle, with their not so little player salary budget, were coming to Dublin to take on mighty, "world-class" Leinster. Then there was the storm in a tea-cup over James Ryan being a couple of minutes late to the pre-game coin toss. The French side, and their coach, were clinging to all slights - real or perceived - to whip themselves into a tizzy. It helped. They were in the lion's den, they told themselves. Up against it, but still fighting. Even after they had their arm raised in victory, O'Gara had some stuff he wanted to get off his chest. In a chat with Aisling O'Reilly from Off The Ball, he remarked:"We don’t have any bad eggs in the squad, which is a crazy thing to say in French rugby," O'Gara reflected.
"There's a small percentage of their fans I wouldn’t have much time for, that made themselves [known] on the approach and I think that sparked up our boys for the battle."
"Obviously, if he feels he needs to, he'll chip in."Sexton was heading to the Leinster dressing room, at half-time, to chip in when he was involved in a heated exchange of words with some of the La Rochelle team. This happens more often than you may realise in professional sport, especially the ones bubbling over with testosterone. We then had the sight of Sexton, in his team suit, exchanging words with referee Jaco Peyper after the game. It's safe to say they were disagreeing over a couple of key moments. Sexton is unlikely to ever play for Leinster again. He will retire after the World Cup and this Leinster side - even though Sexton would not want it - does not strike me as a team to roll out a player in a league fixture for a token goodbye. The World Cup is now the focus of a stack of these Leinster players, including Sexton. Do not be surprised, though, if Sexton looks to face off against O'Gara again, this time in the coaching arena.
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