Ronan O’Gara says Leinster never asked him to lead the team

Ronan O’Gara has confirmed that Leinster rugby never contacted him about the head coach position. The announcement comes as the former Munster, Ireland, and Lions player settles into a new four-year contract extension with La Rochelle.

O’Gara’s deal with the French club runs until 2031. During his tenure there, he has won two Champions Cups. His appointment was not an accident of career planning, but a deliberate choice to continue his development in a top-tier professional environment.

Speculation had grown that O’Gara would be a leading candidate to replace Leo Cullen when the current Leinster boss steps down at the end of the season. The idea seemed logical given O’Gara’s track record. He previously coached at Racing 92 and won trophies with the Crusaders in New Zealand.

Despite this resume, no conversation occurred between O’Gara and the IRFU or Leinster management. David Humphreys, the IRFU performance director, had previously suggested O’Gara would be in the running for any Irish coaching vacancy. At a media briefing during the summer Nations Championship, Humphreys stated, "Of course, I would say he’ll (O’Gara) be a candidate for every job that comes up in Ireland."

Humphreys added that he met O’Gara two or three months prior when La Rochelle visited Belfast. During that meeting, they discussed the former outhalf’s coaching ambitions. However, that chat did not lead to a formal approach for the Leinster role.

O’Gara admitted he felt a competitive frustration that the conversation never happened. In an interview with The Irish Times, he said, "No Leinster didn’t reach out and the competitor inside you would be disappointed that they didn’t because you think (why wouldn’t you at least have a chat)."

He acknowledged the history between the two provinces during his playing career. From 2003 to 2013, Munster and Leinster were rivals. O’Gara noted that for ten years, Munster usually had the better of Leinster. He pointed out that Leinster took over the dominance only in the final four years of his playing days.

O’Gara emphasized that he is now a professional coach focused on global experience. He said, "Some people in Ireland don’t understand that I am a professional coach that’s gone around the world to be as good as I can be. And the job that I’m doing here would speak quite highly of (my progress) without talking myself up; sometimes you must stand for something."

The interview also covered his reputation for occasional on-field intensity. O’Gara said he no longer has the "rattiness" he possessed as a player. He attributed much of his recent visibility to Canal television, which provides 5 million euros to every club. He noted that an Irishman with an accent is easy for French audiences to identify.

He conceded that some of his past infractions were deserved, while others were not. Over a career spanning nearly 200 games, he said the number of sanctions was small. He explained that some reactions were triggered by officiating standards and TMO decisions, where he would ask the fourth official to check a call. He said, "Their response may absolutely trigger something incredulous where you’re like, did he actually say that?"