Ronan O'Gara hopes that the manner of La Rochelle's Top 14 win over Toulouse serves as "wake up call" ahead of the visit of Leinster.
Toulouse, second in the Top 14, sent a youthful side to La Rochelle, without Antoine Dupont and a number of frontliners, and almost came away with victory.
Out-half Antoine Hastoy landed a penalty with the last kick of the game to earn a 22-19 success, however, a desperately poor spectacle was filled with errors from the home side, who gave up multiple scrum penalties and lost a number of lineouts.
Leo Cullen's side will travel to the west coast of France with a perfect record, 11 wins from 11 URC and European games, while O'Gara's men are sixth in the French league with eight victories and six losses, although they have won both Champions Cup games in Pool 2.
"We will appreciate the four points but right now, it's like a defeat," said former Ireland and Munster out-half O'Gara after the game, played out in front of a 100th consecutive sell-out crowd at Stade Marcel-Deflandre.
"We need to change something.
"If I knew what, I would have done it already. We are suffering, our game is suffering.
"We are not taking pleasure. But it can change. Everyone is negative, but it happens because success creates a lot of problems.
"Success is really in the past, we must stop talking about success. Real competitors stay united and work harder and that's my goal.
"I'm the leader. And we will start that on Monday, Tuesday. Despite everything, we are in the top six in the standings. When we are able to string together a few phases, we will be interesting. It's up to us to turn the wheel.
"I always think a lot. I love sports. From 18 to 30, I was more of an 'underdog' than [a] Nadal or Federer. I have confidence.
"With me, we will find solutions, quickly. Leinster arrive on Sunday. Maybe this is the wake-up call we need."
La Rochelle, champions in 2022 and 2023, top Pool 2 over Leinster on points difference after wins at Bath and at home to Bristol.
They lost twice against the Irish side last season.
"I'm not going to lose confidence in my players," added the 47-year-old.
"It's a difficult time, but in English, we say 'when it rains, it pours'.
"I'm not looking for excuses, I'm always looking for progression.
"I think that if everyone improves their investment and rugby is the real priority,
"There are so many good players who, at the moment, are not expressing themselves, I said that some are 'frozen' by my demands and my speech, but it will be released very soon.
"We did a good job at Bath, against Bristol.
"Average against Clermont [in the 20-15 win in the Top 14] but we changed the team [in the 21-13 loss to] Perpignan and I was too demanding of the team sent to Perpignan.
"Tonight was... the players and I have to give more. That's the goal for this week. Maybe it won't work, in four weeks or in four months. But the goal in life is to try.
"We need to find a recipe to go for Le Bouclier [Top 14 title], which the club has never done. But we need to change the atmosphere. The atmosphere is negative everywhere."
