Ronan O’Gara holds back tears as he pays tribute to club legend after heart attack

A beloved head coach.

So it comes as no surprise that the popular Cork man was highly emotional when addressing the player's heart attack - which has forced him to retire - at his latest press conference.

Atonio has been at the club since 2011 after being spotted at a tournament in Hong Kong. He has seen the club rise from Pro D2, and won two Champions Cups under O'Gara.

Speaking to the French media, O'Gara said: “I have no words — he is exceptional.”

“We’re thinking of his loved ones. I was shocked; I’m very fond of his wife and children, and it’s the first time I’ve seen Uini without a solution. Now we have to follow the cardiologist’s instructions and make a plan so he can live well,” added the Irish coach, who “hopes” that in the future Atonio will be able to join Stade Rochelais’s coaching staff.

“This week, it was hard to see our champion like that. I’ve known him for six or seven years; you don’t meet many people like him in the world — he’s someone exceptional. I thank him for all the emotions he’s given me since I’ve been here. I have no words — he is exceptional. It’s not easy to process what happened,” he concluded, deeply moved.

“Under these circumstances, preparing for the match against Lyon OU this Saturday was very difficult for the Rochelais. The back-row forward and captain Grégory Alldritt confirmed that Atonio ‘is still in hospital, but we spoke to him on the phone — he’s smiling, it’s the Uini we know. We’re reassured about that; it was really nice to hear.’”

You can read the report on his medical incident and the club statement here.

In his column for the Irish Examiner, O'Gara succinctly summed up Atonio's character.

He wrote: "I understand it’s difficult for anyone at home to have a proper appreciation of what this great man is about but when we reach for easy phrases like ‘different gravy’ in sport and life, Uini Atonio is actually the exampla gratis. The embodiment.

"Processing everything that has happened in the last week or so, and thinking back beyond it to what could have happened, makes for queasy feelings that are tough to articulate. Uini had pulled out of the French Six Nations squad with what was originally thought to be a sternum injury, but we now know it was a serious coronary problem."