Ronan O’Gara has emerged as a contender to replace Joe Schmidt as Australia head coach, with the La Rochelle boss confirming his interest to local media.
“Yes. Keen. Be a great team to work with,” the former Ireland and British & Irish Lions flyhalf told The Sydney Morning Herald via text message.
Rugby Australia on Thursday announced that Schmidt will step down after the 2025 Rugby Championship, and RA CEO Phil Waugh is open to appointing a foreign coach.
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“If the best candidate to continue that trajectory is an overseas candidate, then we’ll make the right choice for the players’ development,” Waugh said.
O’Gara, a two-time Investec Champions Cup-winning coach with La Rochelle, has long expressed ambitions to coach at Test level. “There are Test jobs I’d bite people’s hands off for,” he said in December.
O’Gara previously worked with Scott Robertson at the Crusaders and briefly assisted Schmidt on Ireland’s 2017 US tour.
With leading Australian candidates, the Waratahs’ Dan McKellar and Reds rivals Les Kiss, focused on Super Rugby, O’Gara could be a serious option for RA.
Photo: Timothy Rogers/Getty Images
