La Rochelle boss Ronan O’Gara saw red—literally—as his side were beaten 53–33 by Pau in a chaotic Top 14 clash yesterday.
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Pau stormed back up to second in the table, helped by an extraordinary moment after just 34 seconds. Former Pau playmaker Antoine Hastoy was handed the fastest red card in Top 14 history for a wild aerial collision, winning the ball but landing with his right boot’s studs straight into the head of winger Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, who was left bleeding.
O’Gara immediately marched onto the pitch to protest, only to be waved away by referee Jeremy Rozier. But the drama didn’t end there.
Midway through the second half—57 minutes on the clock—the Irishman was given his own marching orders after more comments from the sideline reached the referee.
After the game, O’Gara didn’t hide his frustration.
“A start like that is difficult to digest, to understand,” said O’Gara after the game.
“But with a little hindsight, I understand the logic behind the ‘kung fu fighting’: the studs in the opponent’s head.
“It’s hard to believe that there was any intention to hurt the opponent. The referee saw blood, and blood is what decides everything. Are there mitigating circumstances? Yes, I think so.”
O’Gara—no stranger to run-ins with the French league over remarks about officials—also downplayed his own dismissal.
“It’s the job of the fourth and fifth officials to pass the message on to the referee,” he said.
“I contested a decision. I have to accept that.”
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