Stephen Ferris has given his take on Saturday's Champions Cup final, where the Ronan O'Gara coached La Rochelle stunned favourites Leinster with a last minute try.
Ferris spoke highly of the French club on this week's Build-up with Ladbrokes.com, who not only stunned Leinster with the win, but stunned the rugby world with their incredible homecoming celebrations.
This incredibly endearing culture of the club and the coaching quality that Ronan O'Gara brings to the table, is a combination which Ferris believes is a recipe for continued success in an environment that will continue to attract top players.
They've a quality side, they've really good investment, a really well supported team also. The likes of Levani Botia whose been there since 2014 when they got promoted into the TOP 14, other guys as well who are still part of La Rochelle who have been through that incredible journey who are still there, and they're going to be able to bring world class players in, because when you go and you win European Cups, and you see the atmosphere, you see what Ronan O'Gara is bringing to the table, you're going to want to play there.
"Victor Vito didn't play in the final, and he would have definitely added to that La Rochelle team. But I think ROG he's a good lad, he is a top top fella, and he will coach anywhere in the world no problem. He will go to New Zealand, he will go to France, he'll go to Ireland, he'll go anywhere as long as he knows he can do a good job with the players that he is going to have available. And that's kind of why the England job popped up."
Many pundits were touting Ronan O'Gara for the English head coach job after the win, and Ferris has also hopped on that bandwagon. However, it is not just whimsical speculation, and with there being a good chance that Eddie Jones will not be the England head coach after the 2023 World Cup, O'Gara will no doubt be high on the list of possible successors.
Why wouldn't he want the England job? The player pool that he to pick from, they're playing in a really competitive league in the Gallagher Premiership every single week. 85,000 people at Twickenham, the revenue streams that they generate, he would probably be the best paid coach in world rugby if he was to take that job. His kids would go to school, probably in a lovely private school somewhere in London. It ticks every box to become a head coach of the biggest rugby nation in the world. So who knows what's around the corner."
"I said to a friend of mine there, 'it wouldn't surprise me if Ronan O'Gara was the head coach of France in a couple of years time'. Him and Shaun Edwards could do a pretty good job. Shaun Edwards obviously the defence coach. So watch the space. ROG has got a good thing going at La Rochelle and I'm sure he'll not just want to bow out after a year or two, he'll want to leave a legacy before he moves on, and fair play to him he's got off to a good start."
While the French head coach job has always been filled by a Frenchman, we would not put anything past Ronan O'Gara, given his rapid rise in coaching, and his experience and success with La Rochelle and Racing 92.
SEE ALSO: Stephen Jones And Stuart Barnes On What Ireland Can Learn From La Rochelle's Defeat Of Leinster
