All Blacks: Ronan O’Gara dubs Damian McKenzie move as ‘off the Richter scale’
The La Rochelle boss as addressed the rumours surrounding All Blacks star Damian McKenzie.
La Rochelle director of rugby Ronan O’Gara has addressed the rumours that his club are in talks to sign All Blacks star Damian McKenzie.
McKenzie has started all seven of the All Blacks matches in 2024 at fly-half and is reportedly looking to exploit the clause in his contract that affords him the opportunity to spend a season abroad.
Traditionally, New Zealand players have headed to Japan for this kind of playing sabbatical but Jordie Barrett bucked the trend by signing a short-term deal to join Leinster after the November internationals and it has been reported that McKenzie could do the same.
Damian McKenzie to La Rochelle?
According to a report by French publication Rugby Prime, McKenzie could well join O’Gara’s La Rochelle after the 2025 Rugby Championship as part of his contract extension with the Chiefs and New Zealand Rugby.
O’Gara has since addressed the rumours, that he admits that he was aware of the rumours surrounding the All Blacks star.
“No, no, no, I’m aware of that, that’s a wild rumour. It ain’t happening,” the La Rochelle boss told Off the Ball when asked if he is signing McKenzie.
“No, usually there is obviously no smoke without fire, but in this case, it’s completely off the Richter scale.”
All Blacks: What Damian McKenzie’s reported European switch means for his Test future
Still, the ex-Ireland and Munster fly-half is clearly a fan of the All Blacks star but added that the club simply cannot afford a player of McKenzie’s calibre now as they are already at the cap of their budget.
“There’s no possible capacity, budgetary-wise or from a planning point of view that we could entertain having someone like him,” he added.
“It would be it would be great for both parties [La Rochelle and McKenzie], but it ain’t happening.”
Money is not the only reason the La Rochelle boss says that the deal is not feasible as he currently has enough cover at fly-half in his squad and that McKenzie just wouldn’t fit.
“We have Antione Hastoy, Ihaia West, Hugo Reus and we got a new good young 10,” he said.
“We just don’t have half a million – well, maybe I’m doing him a disservice saying that you get him for that price – but [we don’t have that] just hanging around.
“That’s how it is, every Euro is accounted for.”
What’s next for McKenzie?
That is likely to be the case with most French clubs and if McKenzie is considering a move to a Top 14 club, it would have to be with one that needs injury cover.
McKenzie has exploited the clause for a playing sabbatical abroad as he spent a season in Japan with Suntory Sungoliath and could head back to the Land of the Rising Sun again.
Meanwhile, the playmaker is set to feature in the upcoming Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup Test matches against Australia before taking a break until the November internationals.
As for La Rochelle, they kicked off their Top 14 season with a 19-15 victory over Toulon which featured a nasty head-on-head blow between Charles Ollivon and Jonathan Danty.
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