Stade Rochelais lost 40-13 to Leinster in the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup. But La Rochelais has made a name for itself on the European scene.
With clever recruitment, effective training, and a recognized manager, the reigning double European champion has everything to stay at the top. The club is getting back into the tough but calm way. With a well-considered workforce between longevity, youth, and opportunities. When we think of the Caravelle club, we think of the veterans, who have experienced everything, from the second level to European success. Like Uini Antonio (34 years old), who became the right pillar of the France team, or the tireless Fijian Levani Botia (35 years old). The club can no longer do without its young recruits, who were there at the start of the rise. Like Grégory Aldritt, who arrived in 2016 from Auch and took on the dimension we know today, then Pierre Bourgarit, who also knew how to do well in the club. Ronan O'Gara is having his first real coaching experience with Stade Rochelais. Former fly-half and scorer for the XV du Trèfle. Defense coach for Racing 92 (2013-2017), he returned to France in 2019 after a successful stint as backs coach at the Crusaders in New Zealand. He supported Jonno Gibbes for two years before becoming general manager of the La Rochelle club. In 2022, he extended his contract until 2017 and said he "loves his group'. O'Gara: "If you accept defeat, you are a loser. I hope my DNA doesn't say that about me" "WE WON'T WIN EVERY YEAR," he said after a defeat against Lyon (28-17), in February 2024. "I think they looked more at real estate in La RocMichelle and Île de Ré than at training. When you do that, why be disappointed? It questions what we want in life"