And the former Ireland fly-half believes the TOP 14 team are in the mood to go one step further In Europe’s elite club rugby competition this season, after losing 22-17 in the final to Stade Toulousain in May.

“I love the attitude [and] the mindset here, and I’m happy to come here every day,” he said. “It’s a huge challenge, but also a massive honour.

“We’re enjoying the ride and I think that’s important – it’s a privilege, not a job, because for us, working in a factory or something like that is a job. We’re rugby professionals; we do sport [for a living] and we must express [ourselves].

“I think that we’ve all been motivated by the French national team. There’s a buzz in France at the moment.”

That buzz also means there is plenty of expectation on the French teams as they head into European competition.

O’Gara’s side face Glasgow Warriors and Bath Rugby in the pool stages, and he knows they need to get off to a good start.

“The first match is at home and there are certain rules for a French team playing at home - it’s an opportunity for us to start quickly and show our level,” he added.

“For Glasgow, they’ll come here with no pressure on them and nothing to lose. They will attack. That’s normal; we’re in the [Heineken] Champions Cup. We're at the deep end. We want to show that it’s really important for us.”

The European Cup’s leading points-scorer believes it is even more important for La Rochelle to get back to winning ways after finishing as runners-up last time round.

“I don’t know the French word, but I think we were ‘hungover’ after the two defeats in the final [in the Champions Cup in 2020-21 and in the Challenge Cup in 2018-19],” he explained.

“For me, this is normal because we don’t have the culture or the history at this magnificent club at the moment, but that will change. From each defeat you learn a lot more than from a victory.”

Stade Rochelais head coach Ronan O’Gara wants his players to remember how lucky they are to be able to compete in the Heineken Champions Cup, with the last couple of years having been tough for them after games were played behind closed doors.