The future of Ronan O'Gara has been the source of great speculation over the past six months.
O'Gara is one of the best young coaches in world rugby, as La Rochelle's incredible Champions Cup success this year proved.
Next year's Rugby World Cup means that a number of high profile and high paying international coaching positions are set to become vacant, and none more high profile and high paying than the role of England rugby head coach.
Last week Rog confirmed he was on a shortlist to succeed Eddie Jones after the Australian's contract expires after the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
There has been incessant reports on England's interest in O'Gara over the past year. It would be difficult news for any Irish fan to swallow, but at least we've had plenty of time to prepare for the idea. #
French media: Ronan O'Gara staying put
However, today's reports in the French media claim that O'Gara will in fact stay at La Rochelle and sign a contract that will keep him in the south of France until after the 2027 World Cup.
According to Rugbyrama.fr, O'Gara is on the verge of signing a new contract with the French side. In badly-translated French, they write:
"A three-year contract, which would lead the Irish coach until the 2027 World Cup, is simply awaiting the signature of the person concerned today."
Yesterday La Rochelle winger Jules Favre spoke of how much O'Gara would be missed if he left the club.
Yes, for sure, because he has given us a lot. He has made the club grow so for sure it would be bad news for us.
“He is a great coach. He started with Racing in France, with the defence, and he went to New Zealand after that to improve himself as a forwards coach. Now he is in his prime.”
While all Irish rugby fans wish O'Gara the best in his professional career, most will treat this development as good news as it would be very complicated for Ireland to take on a ROG-coached England team in the Six Nations.
At the moment these are just reports. O'Gara is one of the most accessible Irish sports personalities in the media and we imagine this news will be confirmed shortly.
