Ronan O'Gara predicts it is La Rochelle's "time to strike" after dealing with their own heartbreaks in recent times.
Before the club conquered Europe for the first time last year they were in the 2021 Champions Cup final, when they lost to Toulouse. They were runners-up in the Top 14 the same season.
There were momentous celebrations when the Champions Cup was brought back to La Rochelle last year as O'Gara stepped up into the hot-seat.
READ MORE: Ronan O'Gara insists he isn't trolling Leinster by wearing red on eve of Champions Cup final
But, once more, a first-ever Top 14 triumph proved beyond Les Maritimes. That could change this year as they find themselves back in the semi-finals, having topped the League standings, and the first leg of an unbelievable double could be secured in Dublin today.
O'Gara's hero status there will be swiftly upgraded to legendary if that were to happen, and as he adds yet more highlights to his already distinguished coaching career.
"The game is played by players," he said yesterday. "I have a role in the environment, but to connect and to get the best out of each other, all great teams are driven by the players.
"You can overestimate the role of the manager. These guys look out for each other, they care for each other.
"The culture has changed in our club. We don’t have much turnover like we had a few years ago. There's a nice bit of stability, a nice bit of competition, they understand what we want to do.
"They want to create the best memories between them for each other so that when they're retired on the couch, washed-up, they have something to look back on. To me, that's what rugby is about.
"Do you win all the time? No, you don't. Do you have massive disappointments? Of course you do.
"But sometimes the disappointments serve you well. We lost the Top 14 final, we lost the European Cup final.
"Now it's our time to strike."
O'Gara smiled as he insisted he wasn't playing mind games by wearing a red hoodie to La Rochelle' captain's run.
The ex-Munster no 10 was box office as he gave his thoughts on a third meeting with Leinster at the business end of the competition in as many seasons.
But why the red top? "I had three choices," he laughed. "Green, red and turquoise. Turquoise is in the wash and green is for tomorrow!".
O'Gara explained why he selected ex-Connacht and Ireland second row Ultan Dillane on the bench instead of as a starter, admitting he thought long and hard about going with the Tralee man because he would be "a weapon" against an Irish province.
He described Dillane as a "good guy" in a squad full of them.
"The forwards have an amount of messers," he smiled. "I look at them this morning and to think they’ve a European Cup final, you're like, 'wow.'
"If I hadn't been to the Crusaders, I would have been nervous about that but then I see how they prepare four hours before a game, I'm like, 'There's different ways of doing what you want and achieving what you want'.
"You respect everyone's preparation, we're all different, and you're judged on the 80 minutes. We won't have excuses. Let the better team win and on we go."
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