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Gibbes gets Clermont job while O'Gara earns promotion at La Rochelle

(Photo by Bob Bradford - CameraSport via Getty Images)

La Rochelle director of rugby Jono Gibbes is to join Clermont on a three-year deal as the replacement for Franck Azema, a transfer that will see current Rochelle head coach Ronan O’Gara step up into the director role that Gibbes will vacate at the home of the Heineken Champions Cup semi-finalists and Top 14 title chasers.

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O’Gara, who has agreed terms through to 2024, will take over at the Maritime club on July 1 having initially joined them in 2019 following two Super Rugby title winning seasons as an assistant at the Crusaders. His decision to stay will now end speculation that he might join Munster sometime in the near futre.    

The Irishman, who earned his coaching stripes in France at Racing 92 after he retired from playing with Munster and Ireland in 2013, told the La Rochelle club website: “I’m extremely proud of the confidence that La Rochelle have shown in me by appointing me at the head of the group. 

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“I’m obviously very impatient to continue this adventure next season, but all in good time. We have important deadlines ahead of us and above all a good season to end in the best possible way.”

Gibbes was the New Zealander who recruited O’Gara to the club but he will now switch to Clermont, with whom he won the 2017 Top 14 title before heading to Ulster and on to La Rochelle.    

Clermont president Jean-Michel Guillon told his club’s website: “We are very happy to have found a coach of Jono’s calibre in order to guarantee our sporting ambitions in the coming seasons. He knows our club well, its players and how it works, with which he has already enjoyed success before gaining new professional experiences in Ulster and La Rochelle.

“His high standards and professionalism, demonstrated this season through La Rochelle’s remarkable progress in both competitions, will be the basis for his assumption of office this summer. Under the search conditions imposed on us, we are very happy to have found in Jono Gibbes the person capable of embodying the ambitious future of the club in the years to come.”

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J
JW 55 minutes ago
'He wants players to be able to play four positions': Former All Black critiques Robertson's strategy

Sorta “rent a comment” kinda guy really.

Haha yep another great way to say it.


Look I actually agree with the guy, he might have heard something said and seeing as he loves to make a spotlight, and be in it, he decided/mistakenly came up with this headline grabber?


Despite what I already said was the actual idea for the topic he mistook, I think, at this particular moment, there are plenty of situations people should be sticking. I’m OK with the Dmac situation if its just until Stevenson and Etene start sharing the Fullback job. I’m OK with Barrett being left at 15 and Perofeta being given the job to displace Plummer (easy task for him imo) as the first five (with the ABs in mind). But pretty much all the others, like your suggestions, they are far off optimal understanding of their core positions so should be trying to specialize for a couple of years. Think Ioane and Proctor, one or the other, not trying to get both on. Barrett or ALB/Higgins/Lam, Sititi and Sotutu at 8, Finau/Haig/all the 6’s injured or gone etc.


From Razors perspective, of a coach on the limit of what can be achieved, he wants to a balance of core and niche. Having players able to cover situations when your down a man, through card or because he’s lying on the ground, you want your players to be adaptable. Does this mean he’d like them to learn that adaptable by playing other positions fully, like for a whole game in another position, or just as in terms of their skills sets. Because if you apply what I suggested Razor was referring to as “four” positions, wingers can be very useful in other roles like a carrying 12, or a pilferring 7, let alone benefit from a tight relationship and understand of what a 13 is trying to do for them.


This concept applies to pretty much every single position. Take your(my) Lock example, theyre now lifters, they can (size and shape allowing) ruck and maul like the front row, run like a back and offload like a basketballer. Many recent young locks of of this rangy razzle dazle variety.


Personally I really like and think that adding versatility is inevitable with the amount of training and really early highperformance skill/athleticism work they get through. Max Hicks looked interesting as a 2m beanpole playing openside in France, PSDT showing the frame is certainly viable (as apposed to the typical 6 playing lock), opensides really need a running/carry side to their play these days and could easily play in midfield. Halfbacks are starting to play standing up straight rather than low to the ground, how cool would it have been if the Hurricanes had decided to retain Preston by switching Roigard to 10 for this season? Like Leroy Carter they’re already good wingers with the right pace. I do really see the back three players staying were they are for the most part though, unless theyre special players like Dmac.

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