“It is my club, I’d like to fight for it, do what’s necessary. Rumours about Australia aren’t true. But, you have to ask yourself: are the players fighting for me, for the staff? Obviously today, [the answer is] no. “There is no proof I can get the team out of this crisis, but I will fight. “Maybe the message is not getting through. It’s a real option if the message is not getting through that it might be better without me. I haven’t lost confidence in myself, that’s for sure, but you need to ask the question. “Can you imagine [what] the fans who watched that think? It’s not my rugby, it’s not my state of mind, it’s not my attitude, but the players represent me. Right now, there’s a disconnect.” Injuries have blighted La Rochelle’s season to date. But that excuse was moot on Saturday, as they welcomed key players from the infirmary to the 23, including Will Skelton, Judicael Cancoriet, Danty, and Pierre Bourgarit, returning after a long lay-off. Five defeats in a row is La Rochelle’s worst run since March 2019. Even so, it’s not a full-on, all-hands, panic crisis yet, despite O’Gara’s insistence La Rochelle ‘are fighting to stay up’. For context, they sit seventh in the table, just ahead of a resurgent Lyon, while Racing are one of four or five clubs in a markedly worse position. But they are far from the standards or ambitions they set themselves – and a mere nine points ahead of 14th. And they could fall off the back of the top six on Sunday, if injury-hit Clermont spring an admittedly unlikely shock at Bordeaux – and the season is rapidly heading to the period when it’s better to be in the play-off zone rather than the chasing pack. Patrice Collazo’s Racing, winless since early November, opted not to take on La Rochelle front on. They, instead, went around them, or over them, and stifled them defensively. Tristan Tedder, in his first start at fly-half in 10 months, was the imperfect architect, kicking high, for his chasers, or long, for territory. La Rochelle had no answer to the flanking manoeuvres, especially after captain Tawera Kerr-Barlow went off early with an injury. Racing’s Zimbabwean backrow Shingi Manyarara, 12 minutes into his first Top 14 outing scored the game’s opening try – and born-again Cameron Woki, at eight with Jordan Joseph in the second row – added their second 15 minutes into the second half with his last act before being replaced. Bourgarit was one of a few bright lights for the home side, scoring twice after replacing Quentin Lespiaucq in the second half. But it was never going to be enough, as Tedder repeatedly punished their indiscipline off the tee. The result moved Racing 92 out of the relegation play-off spot. Vannes, who started the weekend in 14th, replaced them with their third win in a row – an impressive 37-24 result against Montpellier at Stade de la Rabine. It could have been better still. They shipped three tries in the last 11 minutes to lose a first Top 14 try-scoring bonus. Uninspired Stade Francais, meanwhile, plunged to the foot of the table, as they lost 24-6 at Toulon in a match that saw Melvyn Jaminet return to action, amid much applause at Stade Mayol, following his suspension for a racist outburst on social media during France’s troubled July tour of Argentina and Uruguay. Just three points separate 14th from 11th. Pau eased away from the bottom two places with a comfortable 23-6 victory over Perpignan at Stade du Hameau. Earlier, Castres came from eight points behind at halftime to beat Lyon 30-25 at Stade Pierre Fabre and maintain their unbeaten run in 2025. Just the seven tries for a Toulouse side without their six internationals as they reclaimed top spot from Toulon on Saturday evening with a surprisingly testy 41-6 win over Bayonne at Stade Ernest Wallon. Bordeaux fly-half Matthieu Jalibert and hooker Maxime Lamothe have both recovered from a bout of gastro that prompted their release from the France squad midweek, and will join the dropped Damian Penaud in the 23 for Sunday night’s match against Clermont – who will be without George Moala, Alivereti Raka, Anthony Belleau, Lucas Tauzin and Étienne Fourcade, who were all injured in last weekend’s home loss against Toulouse.