La Rochelle Coach Ronan O’Gara Faces Further Suspension, Reigniting Contentious Relationship with Refereeing Body
La Rochelle head coach Ronan O’Gara is once again facing potential suspension following the rapid expulsion of Antoine Hastoy during a Top 14 match against Pau on November 30, 2025, escalating a long-running and often public conflict with French rugby’s officiating. The incident – the fastest red card in Top 14 history – threatens to sideline O’Gara,mirroring previous disciplinary actions and fueling a narrative he acknowledges contributes to a reputation for volatility.
O’gara’s direct dialogue style, described by himself as prioritizing “honesty,” has repeatedly landed him in hot water. He previously confided in Olympic Midday: “I’m quite ‘easy to read’, I think, and I’m quite consistent in my way of being.People know what I think of them. If I have a problem with you, I tell you; if I don’t have one, I tell you that too; if I need to poke you, I do it. I stay true to who I am, to my ideas. […] Honesty is the minimum in my eyes. I was dragged in by some people who were trying to hide things.”
In 2023, messages sent to then-national director of arbitration Franck Maciello resulted in a sanction for “undermining the best interests of rugby.” O’Gara later explained his frustration, stating he sent “super strong images and…language was, let’s say, super weak,” regarding player safety and received no response. He felt his private communications were unfairly leaked while supporting evidence wasn’t. “It wasn’t an open court,it was a private conversation. The rules are not the same for everyone, apparently. I took a week more suspension than an opponent who attacked one of my best players with the head.”
Following the 2023 sanction, O’Gara vowed to control his reactions. “I told my wife that I can’t let these people decide my mood. I made a deal with myself: I have to get over all this. I have to learn to ‘prioritize’ things. as a manager, there is always work to do and I have to always keep in mind what is moast important for the team.”
Despite a period of relative calm, O’Gara received a five-week suspension in early 2025 for “actions against a match official” and “threatening act(s) or word(s) towards a match official.” He publicly criticized his inability to impact the team during a crucial defeat in Pau in June,lamenting,“We talk about discipline every week,but where is the coach? Hanging,in the stand,with zero impact. Let’s stop thinking about the players when there’s a coach like that: it’s a problem.” O’Gara acknowledges the cycle, stating, “It will continue to fuel the reputation that I am crazy.”
