On these shores, rugby fans have barely had a second to breathe. From Ireland's heart-throbbing scare at Welsh hands to England's defeat of Scotland in the Calcutta Cup, there was no shortage of rugby to watch.
While Ireland reigned supreme in Cardiff, across the sea in France, things weren't as glossy for La Rochelle head coach Ronan O'Gara who was handed a fifth consecutive defeat in the Top 14 at the hands of Racing 92 - the first time his side has succumbed to that many consecutive defeats since 2019.
It was a disastrous first half for O'Gara's men who despite being the beneficiaries of multiple injury returns including that of Will Skelton, failed to improve on their performance against Lyon last weekend, heading down the tunnel ten points to nil at the break.
While a second half resurgence saw the Mariners claim three tries back to bring their tally to 21, it proved insufficient in the face of the sixteen second-half points Racing put past them. Ultimately La Rochelle were condemned to a five-point 26-21 defeat, that moved them outside the Top 14 play-off places and into 7th, just a point above Lyon.
READ ALSO: Jamie Heaslip Sums Up England's Turgid Attack Like Only Jamie Heaslip Can
READ ALSO: Kearney Pinpoints Exact Moment Sam Prendergast's 'Inexperience' Showed In Wales Win
Ronan O'Gara downbeat about La Rochelle future
While O'Gara's men remain nine points clear of any relegation danger, alarm bells were clearly ringing for O'Gara after Saturday's game when he questioned whether his players were still fighting for him.
It’s a crisis, we have to accept it. We had an unacceptable first half for a Top 14 team, after the defeat in Lyon.
It is my club, I’d like to fight for it, do what’s necessary. Rumours about Australia aren’t true. But, you have to ask yourself: are the players fighting for me, for the staff? Obviously today, [the answer is] no.
There is no proof I can get the team out of this crisis, but I will fight.
After dismissing rumours that had linked him to the soon-to-be vacant Australia top job, O'Gara then cast some doubt on his future in the French city. While he reiterated his confidence in himself, the former Irish outhalf pondered whether the club would be better without him.
Maybe the message is not getting through. It’s a real option if the message is not getting through that it might be better without me. I haven’t lost confidence in myself, that’s for sure, but you need to ask the question.
Can you imagine [what] the fans who watched that think? It’s not my rugby, it’s not my state of mind, it’s not my attitude, but the players represent me. Right now, there’s a disconnect.
Despite O'Gara's suggestion that his departure is a 'real option', it seems at the moment unlikely we will see the Munster native make any rash moves away from La Rochelle, with his contract officially keeping him at the club until 2027 and his side still going extremely well at European level.
That said, he has made no secret of his ambitions to make a move into test rugby. As it stands, two top jobs stand vacant; Wales and Australia. O'Gara has already ruled out the potential of a move to Cardiff, and has played down the potential of a move Down Under. That said, this week proved how fast things change in world rugby, and who knows what will happen in the coming months.
