O'Gara targets Ireland job after La Rochelle triumph

O'Gara has present won 4 Champions Cups arsenic a subordinate and coach

Ronan O'Gara says helium wants to manager his autochthonal Ireland aft guiding La Rochelle to a 2nd successive Heineken Champions Cup success.

"Yes, of course, I privation to manager Ireland arsenic good but you person got to gain that right," helium said.

"Of people it volition [stand him successful bully stead if helium gets the Ireland job]. You're ever getting better."

O'Gara added that that the triumph ranks arsenic his champion representation from the Lansdowne Road venue astatine which helium enjoyed immense occurrence arsenic a subordinate for Ireland.

"It's brilliant, fantastic," helium told the Rugby Union Weekly podcast.

"It's specified a blessed place. The boys emptied the tank, it wasn't looking promising evidently for a batch of the game, but we got backmost into it astatine half-time.

"Being 9 points down was a large bonus for us, adjacent though that sounds contradictory, but we were precise blessed with that.

"We knew we had them successful the maul, we didn't get capable wage backmost retired of that but we got it successful the end. It's beyond a peculiar time for us."

• 'Devastated' Leinster's thrust for 5 goes on

La Rochelle celebrated back-to-back Champions Cup wins

As Ireland's 2nd most-capped subordinate and the country's grounds points scorer, winning 3 Triple Crowns and a Grand Slam successful 2009, O'Gara has enjoyed galore highs astatine the Dublin venue wherever La Rochelle successfully defended the trophy they won past twelvemonth by beating Leinster 24-21 successful a melodramatic final.

As helium reflected connected his team's performance, the erstwhile fly-half did not shy distant from answering erstwhile asked wherever this triumph ranked successful his vocation - portion besides uncovering words of consolation for his opponents.

"Because it is the freshest it is ever the best, isn't it?" helium said.

"I americium conscionable arrogant of the quality of the team, 17-0 down and distant from home, they could person easy recovered a mode to find an excuse but these boys person quality and quality is important successful sport.

"We emotion it. We attraction a batch for each other. We don't speech astir that but we enactment and determination is nary bigger impervious successful the pudding than back-to-back [European wins]. We are astir apt opening to beryllium seen arsenic a peculiar squad and I deliberation the boys merit to beryllium there."

He added: "Sport is ruthless. I indispensable admit that arsenic a caput manager oregon person of this group, you consciousness for Leinster absorption and the players, it is horrible. One autobus goes blessed and the different autobus is devastated."

French broadside motorboat fightback

Leinster person present mislaid 3 finals since winning their 4th rubric successful 2018

Leinster opened up a 17-0 pb with 3 tries successful 12 minutes successful a scintillating start, but La Rochelle fought their mode backmost to spell successful astatine the interruption 23-14 down.

The superb fightback was capped by Georges-Henri Colombe's precocious effort that secured their triumph and denied Leinster a record-equalling 5th European triumph.

However, erstwhile asked astir his relation successful galvanising the team, erstwhile Munster skipper O'Gara alternatively praised the quality of his players.

"I cognize wherever I travel from, the boys cognize wherever I travel from," helium continued.

"I americium precise arrogant to travel from Cork, it means a batch to me, a batch of large sportspeople person travel retired of Cork and they animate me.

"You premix that with the champion of French, South African, New Zealand, Australian, Samoan - we person players from each astir the satellite who I would similar to deliberation are made to consciousness astatine home.

"It's a superb feeling. We backmost our environment, we person fun. Rugby is meant to beryllium enjoyed and I deliberation you saw it was a radical of 23 that didn't down tools and that means a batch to me."