During the Top14 meeting last weekend between Union and La Rochelle, the two managers found themselves forehead to forehead and Christophe Urios “slightly caressed” the cheek of La Rochelle.
Not a first for either of them!
On the Christophe Urios side, no one has forgotten his altercation with Fabien Galthié during a Castres-Toulon match, as for Ronan O Gara, he is very much accustomed to the fact since he is currently suspended from the sidelines until April 17. . And Joël Martin of the National Rugby Union knows the guy
Ronan O’Gara, I met him when he was at Racing, I was a federal representative in the Top 14. I had problems with him, he is impulsive, he has a personality. After being banned from the bench, the real sanction for me is that we should ban them from being able to communicate. Do not prevent them from going to the stadium, from coming to see their players but that the sanctioned coach is well isolated without a communication tool and that he cannot go to the locker room before the match either – Joël Martin
Ronan O’Gara exfiltrated from the Chaban Delmas press gallery.
This sanction, banned from the sidelines, does not mean much today. In usual times, the staffs of pro rugby clubs are half at the edge of the field and the other half often in the press box, with in particular all the video tools which make it possible to have information in real time. Ronan O’Gara who has recently come to the sidelines is a regular in the stands can testify Arnaud Carré of France Bleu Gironde
Last year UBB La Rochelle, it was behind closed doors in the league, so we heard everything. And Ronan O’Gara spent 80 minutes screaming and challenging every refereeing decision that was not in favor of his team. So much so that part of the Girondin staff, embittered, went to explain his way of thinking to him and it almost came to blows. Ronan O’Gara was exfiltrated and installed in another place in the Tribune where he continued to scream, but where he was not in contact with the others – Arnaud Carré
Can Christophe Urios be sanctioned by the Disciplinary Committee?
The two men are called up to the National Rugby League next Wednesday, April 13. During his altercation with Fabien Galthié in 2017, Christophe Urios was suspended for 4 weeks! Does he risk a sanction after his exchange with Ronan O’Gara? Answer without appeal from Joël Martin
Yes, I do not see why one would have something and not the other. Christophe Urios did like Ronan O’Gara, he crossed the line. The Disciplinary Committee of the League will rely on the images of the altercation but also and above all on the report of the referees. You should also know that referees 4 and 5 work at the end of the match and respond to about twenty points, what they saw throughout the match, what they had to do – Joël Martin
If Christophe Urios were to suffer the same punishment as in 2017, he would be deprived of the touchline until May 11 and would therefore be in the stands for the matches against La Rochelle, Montpellier, Toulon and the quarter-final of the Champion’s Cup. Still, Ronan O’Gara is more accustomed to the disciplinary committee than C.Urios. We can expect leniency for good behavior. In any case, the victory of his players this afternoon would make any sanction much lighter in the eyes of the Bordeaux manager.