In his chat with Jim Hamilton on The Rugby Pod, Crusaders coach Scott Robertson discussed the possibility of reuniting once more with Ronan O'Gara (Barbarians aside).
The pair are due to once again coach in tandem when they take the reins for the Barbarians in November, with the invitational side taking on the All Blacks XV at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Scott Robertson x Ronan O'Gara?
On the podcast, Robertson spoke about his time with Ronan O'Gara at the Crusaders, and what the Munster man brings to the table in a coaching capacity.
Yeh look we've got quite a cool relationship actually. Ronan, the way it worked, I needed someone like him in Europe who understood the kicking game really well.
He just saw things differently, and I need that. I need people with risk management. He wasn't quite there, anyway the balance of it all we ended up sort of coming together as a combination. He built great relationships with the players. He talks openly about how his time down here, his couple of years with us helped him.
Look I'm coaching the Baa Baas with him, we talk regularly, talk how to shape a season, what do you have to do in the off-season, we talk about a lot of those things. He's real smart, great rugby mind, but he needs good people around him which he's starting to get right, is really really critical.
Would I coach with him again? Ye I would. I love that he's become a head coach, he's got a little it of charisma, and for whatever reason players trust him. And that's hard. You have mates don't you and you have coaches like we've talked about that you play, but for people to trust you, and it comes quite quickly.
I know La Rochelle, it took him awhile to establish what he was doing, and the whole group, it's a mixing pot playing in France with the players. They had to buy in as his first year as a head coach. For him to do what he's done is pretty special.
2 April 2021; La Rochelle head coach Ronan O'Gara before the Heineken Champions Cup Round of 16 match between Gloucester and La Rochelle at Kingsholm Stadium in Gloucester, England. Photo by Matt Impey/Sportsfile
International rugby is the logical next step for both Robertson and Ronan O'Gara, and the end of the 2023 World Cup should bring about various openings.
However, given the success and stature both men hold in the game, it is unlikely we will see the two of them working together outside of a one-off occasion such as a Barbarians match, as neither man will be accepting less than a head coach role.
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