Ronan O'Gara says Test job would be 'unbelievably exciting'
2025-02-09
Category: sports

Former Ireland fly-half Ronan O'Gara said there is "nothing to report" regarding links to Australia's head coach position but added he does want to "test himself against the best" in international rugby.The 47-year-old has been head coach of Top 14 side La Rochelle since 2019, and won back-to-back Investec Champions Cups with the French side in 2022 and '23.His success at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre has led to rumours of a switch to Test rugby, most recently the Wallabies position that will be vacated by Joe Schmidt later this year."It's the way it goes," he told BBC Sport."I'm always convincedÂ that if you do the business with yourÂ club team they'll come looking for you. I've been living a dream in France with a bunch of boys that have given me an opportunity to potentially go and coach in international rugby."I want to do it that, ofÂ course. I want to test myself against theÂ best coaches in the world."
Stressing his "loyalty" to La Rochelle, the club who gave him his first opportunity to be a head coach, O'Gara added that if he was to leave for an international job, it would only be for a country with the potential to be the "best in the world"."It's unbelievably exciting, but for me to get on a shortlist you have to make sure my bread and butter, which is La Rochelle, is going well," he said."I've a loyalty to them becauseÂ they've put me where I am."La Rochelle is a great team to be with. If you want to go from a club team to an international team, you've got to make sure that international team could be the best in the world."