Ronan O’Gara reveals his frosty relationship with Steve Hansen
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Former Crusaders assistant coach Ronan O’Gara has revealed that he had a frosty relationship with All Blacks' head coach Steve Hansen.
The former Ireland International flyhalf assisted the Crusaders for two Super Rugby seasons, helping the side complete the Super Rugby three-peat before being appointed as head coach of French side La Rochelle.
O'Gara has explained that not everything was so smooth in his relationship with Hansen, despite his success with the Crusaders.
O’Gara told Irish website Off The Ball that “He [Hansen] was cold to me in my time [with the Crusaders].”
Few overseas coaches have held high-profile roles in New Zealand Super Rugby sides and O’Gara has indicated that Hansen wasn’t completely sold on having a top Irish coach amongst one of New Zealand’s best rugby set-ups.
“I think maybe the fact that it was never really done before and Steve Hansen has been around for a long time,” O’Gara said.
“I kind of made up with him a year or two later, but I think at the start he struggled to get his head around what I was doing there.
“Particularly with the World Cup coming up, particularly with Ireland going so well.
“I went in and got a good reaction out of the Crusaders players and a lot of them are All Blacks. I’d say it was strange at the start that I was coming in.”
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And, he says that there were no hard feelings with Hansen.
