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Was a rollercoaster season what Ronan O'Gara was expecting in his first campaign as a coach at Racing Metro?
The Parisians' season came to an end after a 16 - 6 defeat to Heineken Cup finalists Toulon in the Top 14 playoff semi-finals.
"It was very difficult at the beginning," O'Gara told Ger today in a very candid interview, adding that progress had been made, although he admitted that Racing lacked the requisite quality needed to overcome a juggernaut like Toulon.
"It's obviously been a whirlwind 12 months," said ROG of his own experience in France. "It takes a bit of time for your head to adjust from a player to a coach. The first two months were almost a case of 'stand back and observe' and not having direct responsibility. But then you become part of the team and as one of the coaches told me, I did kick the door down a little bit to get where I am in terms of my role in Racing."
The former Munster and Ireland No 10 also spoke to Ger about strategies of play from a coaching point of view and also made a point about the "number of average players getting paid ridiculous money" as a result of the bumper TV deal for the French Top 14.
He also confirmed that he will hopefully finalize a two-year deal with Racing soon on "half-decent terms", which is a "massive pay cut from the playing days."
With his future likely to remain abroad for now, he also admitted that it was important to gain new experiences, saying "as I've come to realize, there's more to life than Cork and I have to get out there and see it."
ROG also ruled out an early return to Ireland for Jonny Sexton.
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