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1st November 2024
10:09am GMT
Ronan O'Gara has ruled himself out of being Graham Rowntree's replacement at Munster, adding that the 'solution is already in the building'.
The La Rochelle head coach would be many Munster fan's dream candidate, considering he played for the club for 16 years and is their all-time leading scorer with 2,626 points in 240 appearances.
Despite all of the speculation linking him with a return to his home club, the 47-year-old has reiterated his commitment to La Rochelle, having signed a contract extension with the French giants following the next World Cup in 2027.
"I am contracted to 2027," O’Gara told Off The Ball. "One of the things I learned from players I played with and other people who managed me is that a contract is a contract.
Ronan O'Gara on the Munster head coach rumours. 👀
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) November 1, 2024
"It's the story of the week!"#Irishrugby #rugby #Munsterrugby pic.twitter.com/n4imOvDppe
"I signed until 2027 and unless I get fired, I’ll be there until 2027.
"It’s big news, obviously, because it doesn’t happen very often," he said about Rowntree's departure. "When something like that happens, everyone is obviously taken by surprise and wants to know what happened, and I would be in that category too."
Expanding on the point in his weekly Irish Examiner column, O'Gara added: "Of course, the Munster elephant in the room is that the current instability has very little to do with who's coaching the team.
"There are financial and environmental issues that pre-date Graham Rowntree's time, and when you wash in some inter-personal stuff into that mix, it all has the feel of disarray.
"Whether you are in Auckland or Samoa, Mallow or Belfast, it's really sad to see what’s going on with Munster," he added.
"In purely economic terms, a fact not lost on the departing head coach, Munster and Leinster has the feel (if not quite the look) of Cardiff City against Manchester City.
"The competitor in me demands that I try and win a Bouclier (Top 14 title) here and another Champions Cup with it. And I feel I have a better chance of doing that with La Rochelle than with Munster."
He continued: "The greatest days of my rugby life were in that Munster top but I'm not interested in the Munster head coach role. Not now and hardly in the future.
"Munster is in my heart but not my head now. Besides, I would hope my next coaching move is into the Test arena."
Despite ruling himself out as Munster's saviour, the former fly-half made his feelings clear that the right man for the job is already at the club.
"These are turbulent times, but the solution for their next head coach is already in the building with a combo of Mike Prendergast and Denis Leamy," he said.
"Prendy has been on the road for 11 years, cultivating his rugby knowledge around France to get it to a level commensurate with the duties and role of a head coach. He knows rugby inside out, he knows Munster inside out, that's why it works.
"Plus there is a possible add of someone else with gravitas and judgement, an elder lemon. But Prendy as the director of rugby. Munster will be better if Leamy and Prendergast are given more control. Felix Jones has been mentioned but is less experienced than Prendergast."
Munster's search for a new head coach will be on hold this weekend as they welcome the All Blacks to Thomond Park on Saturday evening.
The last time New Zealand made the voyage to Limerick was 2016, when a late try by Joe Rokocoko secured a win for the southern hemisphere side with a final score 18-16.
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