The former Munster Rugby fly-half, who was twice crowned European champion as a player, took over at La Rochelle in 2019, and led the team to Heineken Champions Cup glory with victory over Leinster Rugby in Marseille on Saturday.

O’Gara admitted that his affinity for the competition, in which he made 110 appearances, was not reciprocated by his players initially, with the focus heavily on the TOP 14.

“We were way off [winning the Heineken Champions Cup],” he said. “But you could see it coming together. The boys were probably a bit shocked, to be honest, [by] how much I loved the competition.

“They weren't used to the [Heineken] Champions Cup, they didn’t play that many games before 24 months ago. It was something a bit new to them.

“We tried to create a mindset where the TOP 14 is a marathon, but the [Heineken] Champions Cup can be a sprint. Once you got a bit of momentum, they could see what this crazy Irish man is talking about.

“We’ve got to win our home games, we’ve got to win our away games and we’ve got to win the [Heineken] Champions Cup.

“They were like ‘coach, it’s not possible’. But they got into, they got really into it.”

O’Gara said he will still be pinching himself this week after guiding La Rochelle to their maiden European trophy, but urged the club not to rest on their laurels and aim to match the success of four-time European champions Leinster.

“I think it’s a monumental day for the club,” he said. “It was all about winning, finding a way to bring that cup back to La Rochelle.

“When Monday arrives, Thursday arrives, it’s 2022 winners of the [Heineken] Champions Cup is La Rochelle. It’s a bit surreal at the moment but we’ll enjoy it.

“It’s important we respect how dominant Leinster have been. They’ve, I suppose, given people the passion and the drive within us to be as good as they are.

“We are a long way behind where they are, but today’s a great starting point for La Rochelle. It’s important that we kick on.”

Stade Rochelais head coach Ronan O’Gara says he had to change the way his players perceived the Heineken Champions Cup when he arrived at the club.