RONAN O’Gara has definitively stated he will remain as La Rochelle head coach until 2027.
His name has been floated around the Wales job since Warren Gatland’s departure as well as the Australian gig upon Joe Schmidt’s exit later this year.
With Gatland gone, it’ll be Matt Sheratt leading the Welsh team against Ireland in Cardiff on Saturday[/caption]
And while the Munster icon has previously spoken about feeling like ‘a Judas’ were he to renege on his current contract, he has not been shy in acknowledging that the Australian job would appeal to him.
So it was worth pricking one’s ears up when he stated in such outright fashion that he has no plans to move into the international game for at least two years.
Speaking on his weekly Off the Ball Breakfast segment, he talked up how much joy he gets out of coaching the likes of La Rochelle’s Aussie man-mountain Will Skelton.
In the process of doing so, he said: “It’s just so rewarding coaching people like him.
“You get enjoyment out of it even in tough times and it is tough at the moment.
“But the relationships aren’t strong if you change your behaviour then towards those people who have given me the possibility to shine at test level – if I wanted to do that.
“And I don’t want to do that yet because I feel like I’ve such unfinished business at La Rochelle so I’m going to be there until 2027.
“I’m not going to Australia, I’m not going to Wales. I’m locked in here and it’s important that people in La Rochelle understand that.”
La Rochelle are currently languishing in seventh place in the Top 14 with a record of eights wins and losses apiece from their 16 outings.
Later on in the interview, the 47-year-old backed Simon Easterby’s decision to stick with Sam Prendergast as his starting ten for Saturday’s Six Nations clash with Wales as ‘the logical call’.
Dan Sheehan starts for the first time this campaign, having come off the bench against England and the Scots, and will captain the team in place of Caelan Doris, who misses out through injury.
The Leinster hooker comes into the team for Ronan Kelleher, who joins Doris, Tadhg Furlong, Iain Henderson, and Cormac Izuchukwu on the injury list.
With this in mind, Easterby has made a host of changes from the side that won at Murrayfield.
Sheehan is joined in the front row by Thomas Clarkson – making his first start for the national team – and Andrew Porter.
Joe McCarthy makes his return from injury to partner Tadhg Beirne, while Peter O’Mahony joins Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan, the latter of whom comes into the starting line-up.
Jamie Osborne will make his Six Nations debut at full-back, with James Lowe and the returning Mack Hansen lining up on the wings.
Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose are the midfield pairing, with Bundee Aki dropping to the bench.
Speaking of the bench, Jack Boyle is in line to make his Ireland debut, while Gus McCarthy and Sam’s brother Cian could make their Six Nations bows.
