Ronan O’Gara celebrates La Rochelle’s shock last-gasp Champions Cup triumph

Ronan O’Gara was delighted to lift the trophy as he became only the third person to win the Heineken Champions Cup as a player and head coach after his La Rochelle side beat Leinster 24-21 at Stade Velodrome, in Marseille.

O’Gara joined Leinster counterpart Leo Cullen and Toulouse’s Ugo Mola as scrum-half Arthur Retiere squirmed his way over from a ruck on the Leinster line to score his side’s winner with a mere 17 seconds left on the clock.

Four-time champions Leinster came into the game as firm favourites and looked set to join Toulouse on a record five wins after Johnny Sexton kicked six penalties and his replacement Ross Byrne added a seventh to put their side 21-17 ahead with 15 minutes to go.

But La Rochelle’s third try in the final minute of the game from Retiere earned them a first major trophy to make up for losing in the European Challenge Cup final in 2019 and last season’s Champions Cup final.

“We made a plan and our want was huge. There was nothing in it, but the key was taking away Leinster’s space and time,” said O’Gara, who won the title as a player with Munster in 2006 and 2008.

“I told Arthur I hoped to give him 30 minutes to allow him to go on and win the game.

“There was a lot of finishing in his try, because we had hammered away for about 40 phases before that. There was a lot of discipline in that and it was a super finish.

It was such a tense game and it all feels a little bit surreal that we will wake up in the morning as European champions- Ronan O'Gara

“There are certain players in football, like Ruud Van Nistlerooy, who you know are going to get goals and Arthur Retiere is a brilliant rugby player, but he is an average number nine and an average winger. He is a brilliant player without a