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11th June 2023
05:37pm BST

Ronan O'Gara (left) and again, pictured in the Anotea Stadium press box. (Credit: Getty & Arnaud Coudry)[/caption]
Coudry has experienced the barks and cries of O'Gara on plenty of occasions before - when he was assistant coach at Racing, Yves-du-Manoir, and at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre in 2021 when the French side beat Leinster in the semi-finals of a stadium almost completely empty due to Covid-19 restrictions. The reporter says it was 'a delight' to experience the ROG Show again but notes how he made his way pitch-side for the end-game so his players could really hear him. Next up for Stade Rochelais and Ronan O'Gara is the Top 14 final against Toulouse from 8pm, on Saturday June 17, at Stade de France. Although La Rochelle are two-time European champions, they have never won the Bouclier de Brennus.'Oddly enough, we found ourselves just below that of the Stade Rochelais, a few metres from the boiling Ronan O'Gara. He lives each moment of the match intensely, commenting on game and shouting his instructions to his players who, inevitably, hear nothing from down on the pitch. But it doesn't matter to him, he lives his match thoroughly.
'It is a show in its own right - a little painful for the eardrums, but hilarious. You hear 'Jesus', 'Come On!' and a lot of 'F**k!', and sometimes all three at the same time. The Irish coach is known to experience his team's matches like this, with a (very) high sound level.'
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