Ronan O’Gara red-carded following crazy ‘Kung-Fu’ kick
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Red.
La Rochelle received the fastest red card in history over the weekend and it sparked an incident involving head coach Ronan O’Gara.
Antoine Hastoy was sent off after just 34 seconds against Pau following a ‘Kung-Fu’ style kick to the head of Pau wing, Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, as he received the kick-off.
Referee Jeremy Rozier’s decision sparked outrage from O’Gara, who came onto the field to protest the decision before being ushered away.
La Rochelle's Antoine Hastoy is sent off after just 34 seconds of play
The Frenchman is shown red for a kick to the head of Aaron Grandidier pic.twitter.com/7aMpkn5vnA
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) November 30, 2025
O’Gara struggled to let the incident go, and just under an hour into the game, he was red-carded himself after his comments reached the referee’s ear.
“A start like that is difficult to digest, to understand. But with a little hindsight, I understand the logic behind the ‘kung fu fighting’: the studs in the opponent’s head,” O’Gara said after the game.
“It’s hard to believe that there was any intention to hurt the opponent. The referee saw blood, and blood is what decides everything. Are there mitigating circumstances? Yes, I think so.”
ROG now faces yet another touchline ban, having already received a combined total of 21 weeks’ punishment since he took over at French side in 2021.
