France star reveals why he joined Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle and what he learnt from All Blacks ‘smashings’
France scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec on his switch from Racing 92 to La Rochelle.
As Ronan O’Gara was instructing Finn Russell to take the drop goal in the closing moments of the second British and Irish Lions Test against Australia this summer, we got a small insight into how the mentality of the La Rochelle head coach operates.
It demonstrated the Irish legend’s view on winning matches, having claimed several significant victories throughout his career as a player and while leading La Rochelle.
His drive to win has been described as relentless, and this has led many rugby stars to admire him from afar but also encouraged others to join him at the Top 14 club in their journey towards silverware and in the chase for their holy grail.
La Rochelle move
One player who has been inspired to join O’Gara on this journey at La Rochelle is Nolann Le Garrec.
He told Planet Rugby: “Ronan’s got the same mentality, so I think he likes the way I want to win.
“When I came here to just visit the club, I spoke with Ronan, and I said, I don’t come here just to enjoy La Rochelle, play nice in a good stadium, etc.
“I just want to win something.”
The 23-year-old has left Paris and Racing 92 for the sunnier destination of La Rochelle on the Atlantic coast, and his reasoning behind this was pretty straightforward.
He said: “I’m quite young, but I think I played a lot for Racing, so I questioned myself, and I said, ‘maybe I have to move to see something else, something different’.
“Obviously we didn’t win enough for me also in Racing. So, it was a strange feeling because you play with great players, big stars.
“But you don’t win. So, it’s not really good. So, I wanted to see something different. I know the club because I’ve got a lot of friends here.”
Le Garrec is entering the season full of confidence after his summer, as he had the opportunity to lead France for a Test series for the first time in his career.
While France lost every Test match against New Zealand this summer, he believes it was a momentous opportunity for him to stake a claim of being involved in the conversation to be France’s number nine.
He said: “It’s good to develop my game at this level.
“I felt good also to just run the team, just kick. It made me confident for the beginning of the season, I think.
“I learnt a lot. It was good for me also to get a lot of minutes on the field because I played; I started twice in the Six Nations three years ago.”
“We were close, not on the second, but we were close at some point or in some moments. But the reality is that New Zealand smashed us three times. Because they are the number one, actually, so this is why you’re strong.”
France arguably have the most depth in each position as we edge closer to the World Cup in 2027, and this is extremely evident in scrum-half.
Fabien Galthié has a wealth of world-class options to choose for the number nine jersey, as he has arguably the best player in the world operating there in the shape of Antoine Dupont, while he has Maxime Lucu as an experienced general, and now, he has an exciting prospect in Le Garrec emerging.
The three men are currently representing the biggest clubs in France, who are aiming to be battling it out for the Champions Cup and the Top 14 this season, something Le Garrec is all too aware of, as he knows he needs to be able to demonstrate that he is ready to lead France on a more consistent basis.
He said: “You know, we’ve got some good talents in France.
“To be here, maybe to get the rhythm with La Rochelle and play well and play good against this team like Toulouse, Bordeaux, etc., you can show a bit of yourself. And after that, you have to be ready for each and every opportunity with the French team.
“I know it’s unbelievable when I can wear these jerseys. So, every time I put on the French jersey, I try to be my best.”
While Le Garrec would love to be able to develop at La Rochelle to help his France career, this is not his primary objective since moving to the club.
There has been an argument that the Champions Cup has lost some of its allure, but that does not seem to be the case with Le Garrec, as the 23-year-old appears to be driven to lift the famous trophy, and should he achieve his aim, then La Rochelle will win their third.
Driven individual
He said: “I played Champions Cup rugby quite early. I played a semi-final when I was 19 years old, but after that, we lost in just one stage. So I want to get more experience right now and just try to be the best version of myself to, as you say, be in the race for the Blues.”
It was clear that La Rochelle were signing a gem of a player from his time with Paris; however, O’Gara has clearly snapped up a player that fits his mould in how a player should approach matches.
Le Garrec is a driven individual that wants to experience success and be the best player in his position, and so he may have the desired impact to reinvigorate the club after a poor season last year as they look to once again mount a charge for silverware in both the Champions Cup and Top 14.