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Ronan O'Gara dodges slap as tempers flair in sideline confrontation
By Ian Cameron
La Rochelle head coach Ronan O'Gara successfully dodged a slap from his opposite number during his side's match with Bordeaux Begles in the Top 14 over the weekend.
La Rochelle successfully raided their rivals, bagging a hard-fought one-point victory after a fiery match in the south west of France.
Tempers boiled over on the touchline at the Stade Chaban Delmas, with O'Gara angrily celebrating an incident just before halftime, only to be confronted by Bordeaux Begles head coach Christophe Urios.
After a celebratory fist pump, O'Gara appeared to direct some words in the direction of Urios and the former hooker didn't take kindly to it and set off to confront O'Gara.
He approached O'Gara and the pair exchanged words before Urios appeared to reach out with a half-hearted cheek slap for the Irishman, who dodged the outreached hand.
After the match, RugbyRama report that Urios described former Ireland flyhalf as O'Gara as 'unbearable'.
"This guy is unbearable," Urios told the French press. "I regret that the fourth or fifth referee did not do his job. How can we enter the field? How do we connect people? He's really lucky.
"He goes to the stands, he f*** the m… in the stands. He goes to the edge of the field, he f*** the m… at the edge of the field. He is unbearable. Are you telling me that it must already go to committee? But I don't care, it's over. I moved on. I don't care about him."
O'Gara was well known for his passion during his playing days, famously getting into it with Leinster and Argentine flyhalf Felipe Contepomi in the PRO12 and at the Rugby World Cup in 2007.
That energy has clearly been brought to his role as a coach in France, where passions boiling over on the sideline are not uncommon.
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Latest Comments
My ‘fantasy’ team V Ireland,
Including options from ABXV if needed, as V Mun better V Ireland better prep than England.
The most important aspect V Ireland is AB need ALL their loosies AND 'loosie capable locks' on ALL match [except IF(?) any tiring ie the aging & slowing eg Cane]. As follows,
{starting} bench (3rd choice)
1 {De Groot} / Tu’ungafasi (Williams)
2 { anyone that can throw!! }/ Aumua (Brodie McAlister)
Ryan! coach lineouts & Aumua to throw!
3 {Lomax}/ Tosi (Newell )
Tosi immense strength V England
4,5 Locks { P.Tuipulotu, S.Barrett }, Vaa’i, Darry
( Isaia Walker-Leawere)
Vaa’i off V Eng. Assumed due to leg injury(?)
6,7,8 Loose forwards { Sititi, A.Savea, Cane } Vaa’i, S.Barrettm, P.Tuipulotu back up (Devan Flanders, Du'Plessis Kirifi )
9 {Roigard } Ratima ( TJ )
10 {D.McK} Perofeta ( Plummer)
12 {J.Barrett } ALB ( Q.Tupaea )
13 {Proctor} Ioane ( AJ Lam )
Ioane (off V England ) but Irish experience (NO not Sexton!)
14 { Tele’a} Reece (bkup W.Jordan )
11 {C.Clarke} Narawa (K.Naholo)
15 {W.Jordan} Love (Stevenson)
Go to commentsI guess the other option would be to start ALB, he's looked good in the 12 so far when he starts and sets up those outside him. But that would mean putting the vice captain on the bench, which is unlikely. Another option would be to drop Reiko to the bench and play Proctor, though he's gone home so that's not going to happen either.
Both of those players just offer more of the soft distribution skills good centres learn from playing their careers there. Unfortunately that's what's lacking with the current combo.
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