Ronan O’Gara has confirmed that he will take up the role of head coach with French side La Rochelle for the 2019/20 Top 14 season.

The former Ireland out-half will leave the Crusaders, where he has been their backs coach, at the end of the Super Rugby season.

O’Gara and the Crusaders have a chance to win a third successive Super Rugby title this year and he has paid tribute to franchise’s staff and players, admitting it is not easy to depart.

“My family and I have thoroughly enjoyed our time in Christchurch and were welcomed into the Crusaders family with open arms when we arrived in early 2018. This is one of the best rugby clubs in the world, and it certainly wasn’t an easy decision to move on from this team and their high-performance environment. I’m grateful to the Crusaders for the faith they’ve shown in me as a coach, and I’m incredibly fortunate to have worked alongside a world-class playing and management group for the last two seasons,” he said.

Although he set for the exit door and is excited about his new move, he has not completely shut out the possibility of a return to the Christchurch-based club in the future.

“While I see this move to La Rochelle as the next step in my coaching career and an exciting opportunity for my young family, I’d like to think, long-term, this is not necessarily the end of my time with the Crusaders. My focus now is helping to deliver a successful 2019 campaign with the side before my family and I return to France at the end of the season,” he added.

Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson is delighted for his colleague and is grateful for everything he has help the franchise achieve since his arrival.

“Ronan quickly endeared himself to our playing group when he joined us last season and has established great relationships with our backs. He stepped into this environment and really challenged our thinking early on, providing the fresh perspective we were after in our coaching group. We’ve seen a huge amount of personal growth in Ronan during his time here, he continues to be a great friend to me and he’s been an integral part of our success to date. On behalf of the Crusaders team, we wish Ronan and his family all the very best on their return to France,” he said.

Meanwhile the side’s CEO Colin Mansbridge added to Robertson’s tribute to O’Gara and is looking forward to the last couple of months with the coach before he heads back to France.

“We’ve been fortunate to have someone of Ronan’s calibre join our organisation for the past two seasons, and he has certainly added to the legacy of our club during his time here, imparting his knowledge of the game and immense international experience on our playing group. We look forward to celebrating the rest of the season with him and, come the end of our 2019 campaign, wish Ronan, Jess and family all the very best for their next chapter,” he said.

O’Gara was previously the assistant coach of Racing 92 in France, but this will be his first job leading a club and adds to his ever-growing CV.

French outfit Oyonnax have announced the signing of Fijian Gaby Lovobalavu from Wasps ahead of the 2019/20 season.

The Fijian was one of 12 players to be released by Wasps at the end of the Premiership season but has found a new club quickly.

The 33-year-old has been joined at Oyonnax by Fijian youngster Adrian Sanday (21) and French scrum-half Ilhan El Khattabi.

Lovobalavu is no stranger to French rugby having played for Toulon 86 times between 2008 and 2012, before switching to Bayonne where he made a further 78 appearances until his 2017 move to Wasps.

The centre went on to play for the English side 19 times over two seasons.

He will bring plenty of experience to his new side having also represented Fiji at the 2007 and 2015 World Cups as well as all his appearances at club level.

All Black winger Nehe Milner-Skudder will undergo another shoulder surgery which appears likely to end his hopes of going to the Rugby World Cup in Japan later this year.

The 28-year-old Hurricanes star has been plagued by injuries since his Test debut in 2015 and previously went under the knife on the same injury but must go again in a hope to gain a full recovery.

Milner-Skudder posted on social media to confirm that he will go for surgery once more.

“There was plenty to work towards and look forward to on the Rugby to-do list. But unfortunately, due to ongoing issues with my shoulder from a prior surgery not going as well as we’d hoped, it was the best decision to go under the knife again to get it sorted,” he said.

The All Black is set for a move to French Top 14 side Toulon at the end of the Super Rugby season meaning it is likely that we have seen him play his final match in New Zealand.

He has missed the entire Super Rugby season to date through injury and recently became an ambassador for the New Zealand Rugby mental health campaign, noting in his post that his struggles have been mental as well as physical.

“I’ve been through ‘a few’ injuries, but this has easily been the toughest one – both physically and mentally. However, I’m not ready to give up anytime soon, love a good challenge, and have so much love and support around me,” he added.

He will join-up with fellow New Zealand players Julian Savea, Liam Messam and Bryce Heem when he heads to France and they will be hoping he is back up and running soon to help them bounce-back from a poor season.