Irish rugby fans and punters alike will be sad to hear confirmation that there will be no return of Ronan O'Gara to Munster this side of 2023.
The La Rochelle coach spoke in the Irish Examiner on the speculation linking him to the job and ruled himself out of the running - for now, at least.
'I'd be some Judas' - Ronan O'Gara rules out Munster return
Munster confirmed this week that head coach Johaan Van Graan will depart at the end of the season and, naturally, discussion quickly turned to potential replacements, with Ronan O'Gara firmly towards the top of the speculative list.
O'Gara has been linked with the Munster job incessantly for the past few years, and those rumours have only intensified since he took charge of La Rochelle in France.
Sadly for Munster fans, it doesn't seem as though we'll be seeing the Corkman taking over any time soon.
The former Munster and Ireland out-half addressed the rumours in his weekly Irish Examiner column on Friday. He said that he intends to honour his contract at La Rochelle and that "now is not the time" for him to return to Limerick.
I am in a very happy place personally and professionally here in La Rochelle. I love Munster rugby, I always will, but now is not the time. It is always nice to be considered a potential candidate, and I've had an initial courtesy call, but it goes no further.
I have signed a contract until 2023 and I've never broken one. I'd like to think I'm a man of my word and if I was to walk on La Rochelle after five months as head coach, I'd be some Judas.
O'Gara's comments seem to confirm that at least some form of approach was made by Munster, opening the door for him to return at some stage in the future.
La Rochelle flourished towards the end of last season, with O'Gara taking charge at Christmas and ultimately leading them to a Champions Cup semi-final win over Leinster and a Top 14 final appearance. Though there was no silverware to show for their efforts, it marked a big step in the right direction for the French side.
One thing that O'Gara's comments certainly don't do is suggest that he would be opposed to a return to Munster at a later stage. The phrase 'now is not the time' will spark hope that the Munster legend is merely waiting for the right moment to arrive back to his old stomping ground.
We hope to see Ronan O'Gara taking charge at Thomond Park some time in the future - but the time for O'Gara back at Munster is a while off yet.
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