Leinster’s date with O’Gara in the hands of Government

La Rochelle head coach Ronan O'Gara. Photo by Sportsfile

Ruaidhri O'Connor Twitter

April 12 2021 02:30 AM

Leinster have been handed a mouth-watering Heineken Champions Cup semi-final date with Ronan O’Gara and La Rochelle in three weeks’ time, but they will need an exemption from the Government’s mandatory quarantine rules to play.

The IRFU have contacted the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media which has engaged with other departments to establish whether an exemption for elite sportspeople can be introduced.

From Thursday, travellers arriving from France and Italy will have to spend a minimum of 10 days in a hotel under the current Covid-19 guidelines and currently there is no provision for elite sportspeople.

In the immediate term, that puts Saturday’s Women’s Six Nations meeting of Ireland and France at Donnybrook’s Energia Park in jeopardy, while Leinster will also follow the talks closely after their stunning come-from-behind 34-22 win over holders Exeter Chiefs on Saturday set them up with a trip to France on the May Bank Holiday weekend.

A Department spokesperson last night said: “Engagements are ongoing between Government departments to develop options to facilitate sporting activity involving travel to/from countries on the mandatory quarantine list.”

The IRFU and the Six Nations say they will investigate all options to get Saturday’s game played and they may consider moving it to Belfast if no exemption is in place.

Ireland opened their campaign with an impressive 45-0 win over Wales in Cardiff and will be desperate to get a chance to back it up against the French on home soil.

Organisers of the Rainbow Cup will also be hoping the Government changes the rules on elite sportspeople amid fears that the tournament featuring the Guinness PRO14 teams and the four leading South African franchises will not go ahead as planned.

Although Sharks chief executive Eduard Coetzee said: “We have little information at this stage, but it seems to be the case that the Rainbow Cup will be cancelled.” Sources indicate that there is still hope that a solution can be found.

That tournament gets under way with three rounds of in-country derbies and Scottish-Italian clashes next week, with the first games between South African and European opposition scheduled for May 29.

The hope is that the South African teams can base themselves in a European country for the three rounds in late May and June and the final if one of them qualifies.

According to reports in South Africa, Bristol had been identified as the ideal base but British officials were not keen on the idea. Instead, the four teams could come to Ireland if there is an exemption.

It is expected that even if the Rainbow Cup does not take place as planned there will still be six rounds of fixtures for the provinces, with Leinster gearing up for their battle with O’Gara’s side with a derby against Munster on Saturday week.

Kick-off times for Leinster’s trip to the French Atlantic coast, the other semi-final between Toulouse and Bordeaux-Begles and the Challenge Cup last four clashes of Leicester Tigers v Ulster and Bath v Montpellier will be revealed in the next day or two.

Not only does the draw throw up an intriguing meeting between the four-time champions and their old Munster nemesis O’Gara, but the game is also a reunion with former Leinster forwards coach Jono Gibbes who is La Rochelle’s director of rugby.

Leo Cullen, who played with and against O’Gara and was coached by Gibbes, is relishing the encounter.

“Their win on Saturday against a very good Sale side was impressive and we have a big three weeks of preparation ahead of us now,” he said.

“Obviously, Ronan and Jono, two men we know very well, have been building a great side there and it will be a huge challenge going there and winning in France.

“But this is where we want to be; competing against the very best sides in Europe and we very much look forward to the challenge of the coming three weeks and building towards that game.”

Leinster do not have a match this weekend, but Cullen hopes to welcome back at least some of his walking wounded for the meeting with Munster.

Caelan Doris and James Ryan have been training with the team having been stood down with concussions suffered on Ireland duty, while Garry Ringrose (ankle), Will Connors (knee), Jimmy O’Brien (hamstring) and Scott Penny (hand) could all come back into the mix.

“I can’t speak specifically but generally hopefully a good chunk of the guys who are injured will be back for our next game against Munster in Round One of the Rainbow Cup,” Cullen said.

“It’ll be a case by case basis, but definitely we’ll have a few of them back. We’ll see how next week goes.”