THIRD TIME LUCKY. La Rochelle was lovely on the last two visits but the rain made it difficult to explore. So there was great joy in seeing the sun yesterday as the train from Bordeaux pulled into the home of two-time Champions Cup winners Stade Rochelais.
There are plenty of Leinster fans who took the same route from Ireland, while others came through Nantes and Paris. Some flew direct but anyone who has been lucky enough to get here before always wants to get back.
Lots of the Leinster fans here for today’s Champions Cup clash [KO 3.15pm Irish time] were also at Stade Marcel Deflandre in December 2023 when their team beat La Rochelle for the first time.
Among those we bumped into was Noel Cuddy of the Ireland Touch Rugby Association, who seemed to think that this rugby writer could come out of retirement to play the non-tackling code of the game.
Whatever about that possibility, there was no excuse not to get out for a wander yesterday afternoon to see the surroundings.
Le Vieux Port - the old port – is a scenic, quaint area that you may have seen photos of during the remarkable homecomings after La Rochelle’s Champions Cup successes. Those finals were shown on giant screens in the Vieux Port for those who couldn’t make the games in person.
The people of La Rochelle love their rugby and the 16,700-capacity Marcel Deflandre will be full for the 101st consecutive game today.
Head north of the Vieux Port and you’ll eventually see the bridge out to Île de Ré, the beautiful island where the O’Garas live and where some of France’s great and good have holiday homes. It seems like no place for a lowly member of the media so going south appeals.
Around the port area, people often have to wait for footbridges to go up and down, letting boats through, and there is no getting away from the nautical nature of life in La Rochelle. The rugby club are known as les Maritimes with cause.
There are hundreds upon hundreds of sailing boats docked at the marinas that stretch out beyond the city. The coastline takes walkers, runners, and cyclists out to the small resort area of les Minimes.
Les Minimes marina. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Lots of the seaside houses are shuttered now and like La Rochelle itself, it’s very quiet at this time of year but similarly, there is a great sense of peace around.
With big sailboats gliding out of the bay, the old wooden lighthouse known as le Phare du Bout du Monde sitting pretty in the sea, the buzzing bars and restaurants of La Rochelle filling with Leinster fans on Saturday night, as well as an excellent, well-resourced rugby team, you can see why coaches and players are attracted to Stade Rochelais.
Not that all has been calm recently. The narrow win over a youthful Toulouse team in last weekend’s Top 14 clash at the Marcel Deflandre led to even more questions in the French media about O’Gara’s men.
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The weekend edition of Midi Olympique carried an article questioning whether La Rochelle are fit enough to compete. O’Gara strongly denied that was the case, saying that his team are actually fitter this season than last.
“It’s another negative rumour that, like the others, is everywhere in La Rochelle,” said the former Munster and Ireland out-half.
Whatever about their physical condition, it’s clear that La Rochelle have not been playing at the level they were when winning their back-to-back Champions Cup titles. They’re sixth in the Top 14 after up-and-down results, the low point of which was a home defeat to minnows Vannes.
La Rochelle captain Grégory Alldritt was on media duty this week and he stated his total belief that the team is going in the right direction, while revealing that his own uptick in form over the last month has been helped by losing 2kg in weight.
The French media have also been focusing on Leinster, of course, with Midi Olympique saying that the style of play under Jacques Nienaber is “much less slick” than was the case before. They believe this only adds pressure on Leinster to finally win the title. “The end justifies the means,” writes Vincent Bissonet.
Leinster’s attack has been a big focus at home too, with many of their fans hoping to see more classic flowing Leinster attack in between the stunning defensive work that Nienaber is leading.
Stade Rochelais fans take their support seriously. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
“From an attack point of view, we’re probably making too many simple errors at the wrong time which is stopping our kind of flow which is stopping our ability to build and probably look good,” said Leinster attack coach Tyler Bleyendaal.
“Big picture-wise, we’re still scoring points, we’re getting the opportunities, we’re very clinical at times and we’re getting points from that. I think we can just do a better job.”
Bleyendaal also pointed out that the attack and defence aren’t separate things, with Leinster still finding their best rhythm in this regard.
“Myself and Jacques work closely together,” said Bleyendaal. “You defend to get the ball back and once you get the ball back, now I must understand his defensive system and who is going to be available to attack.
“And likewise when we’re attacking and if we turn it over, now we’ve got to understand how to scramble to defend. It’s all intertwined together. The kicking game ties it all together.”
Sam Prendergast will direct much of that kicking game although he’s sure to lean on the massive kicking games of left wing Jamie Osborne and fullback Jordie Barrett, the latter having been promoted into the starting XV on account of the luckless Tommy O’Brien being ruled out due to an injury during the captain’s run on Friday.
Key to La Rochelle’s kicking game will be 34-year-old fullback Brice Dulin, who remains an important playmaker for O’Gara’s team.
The Top 14 outfit will be going all-out at the set-piece too. The scrum battle should be fascinating, all the more so because Leinster are continuing with the experiment of using Andrew Porter off the bench, with the Ireland loosehead expected to come on for Cian Healy in the first half. With La Rochelle props Reda Wardi and Uini Atonio searching for penalties, referee Nika Amashukeli should have a busy day.
The lineout contest will be intriguing, with La Rochelle forwards coach Donnacha Ryan having pored over the Leinster set-piece work. Blindside flanker Ryan Baird’s return to fitness and his form against Munster last time out should help Leinster in that battle.
Nienaber’s defence will be pivotal here. Leinster have limited La Rochelle to scoring just 13 points and nine points in their two most recent meetings, so they’ll be aiming for something similar again.
O'Gara before La Rochelle's clash with Bath. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
O’Gara opted for a 7/1 bench to give his team additional forward power in the second half, with 20-year-old wing Hoani Bosmorin set to also cover scrum-half. Replacement flanker Levani Botia hasn’t played at centre for a few years but he has experience there too.
There’s also the fact that La Rochelle backs like Ihaia West, Jonathan Danty, and Raymond Rhule are injured, while Teddy Thomas is suspended so there weren’t extensive options for O’Gara to choose from.
Even with a late reshuffle after O’Brien’s injury, Leinster’s array of riches is impressive. Ciarán Frawley comes into the number 23 shirt after Barrett’s promotion and he’s part of a very punchy-looking bench with Gus McCarthy, Porter, Rabah Slimani, RG Snyman, Jack Conan, Luke McGrath, and Ross Byrne.
That depth of quality is why many here in France view Leinster as the probable victors of this clash, with the Irish province seen as fairly firm favourites.
Still, Stade Rochelais have a point to prove given the pressure they’ve been under and because Leinster beat them twice last season, including at their beloved Stade Marcel Deflandre. These are great rivals, although they are united by one thing – aiming to dethrone Toulouse.
La Rochelle is a beautiful place but this should be a brutal battle.
STADE ROCHELAIS: Brice Dulin; Jack Nowell, Ulupano Seuteni, Jules Favre, Dillyn Leyds; Antoine Hastoy, Tawera Kerr-Barlow; Reda Wardi, Quentin Lespiaucq, Uini Atonio; Thomas Lavault, Kane Douglas; Paul Boudehent, Oscar Jegou, Grégory Alldritt (captain).
LEINSTER: Jordie Barrett; Jimmy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, Jamie Osborne; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Cian Healy, Rónan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (captain).
Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Andrew Porter, Rabah Slimani, RG Snyman, Jack Conan, Luke McGrath, Ross Byrne, Ciarán Frawley.
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La Rochelle is a beautiful venue for Leinster's brutal battle
THIRD TIME LUCKY. La Rochelle was lovely on the last two visits but the rain made it difficult to explore. So there was great joy in seeing the sun yesterday as the train from Bordeaux pulled into the home of two-time Champions Cup winners Stade Rochelais.
There are plenty of Leinster fans who took the same route from Ireland, while others came through Nantes and Paris. Some flew direct but anyone who has been lucky enough to get here before always wants to get back.
Lots of the Leinster fans here for today’s Champions Cup clash [KO 3.15pm Irish time] were also at Stade Marcel Deflandre in December 2023 when their team beat La Rochelle for the first time.
Among those we bumped into was Noel Cuddy of the Ireland Touch Rugby Association, who seemed to think that this rugby writer could come out of retirement to play the non-tackling code of the game.
Whatever about that possibility, there was no excuse not to get out for a wander yesterday afternoon to see the surroundings.
Le Vieux Port - the old port – is a scenic, quaint area that you may have seen photos of during the remarkable homecomings after La Rochelle’s Champions Cup successes. Those finals were shown on giant screens in the Vieux Port for those who couldn’t make the games in person.
The people of La Rochelle love their rugby and the 16,700-capacity Marcel Deflandre will be full for the 101st consecutive game today.
Head north of the Vieux Port and you’ll eventually see the bridge out to Île de Ré, the beautiful island where the O’Garas live and where some of France’s great and good have holiday homes. It seems like no place for a lowly member of the media so going south appeals.
Around the port area, people often have to wait for footbridges to go up and down, letting boats through, and there is no getting away from the nautical nature of life in La Rochelle. The rugby club are known as les Maritimes with cause.
There are hundreds upon hundreds of sailing boats docked at the marinas that stretch out beyond the city. The coastline takes walkers, runners, and cyclists out to the small resort area of les Minimes.
Lots of the seaside houses are shuttered now and like La Rochelle itself, it’s very quiet at this time of year but similarly, there is a great sense of peace around.
With big sailboats gliding out of the bay, the old wooden lighthouse known as le Phare du Bout du Monde sitting pretty in the sea, the buzzing bars and restaurants of La Rochelle filling with Leinster fans on Saturday night, as well as an excellent, well-resourced rugby team, you can see why coaches and players are attracted to Stade Rochelais.
Not that all has been calm recently. The narrow win over a youthful Toulouse team in last weekend’s Top 14 clash at the Marcel Deflandre led to even more questions in the French media about O’Gara’s men.
The weekend edition of Midi Olympique carried an article questioning whether La Rochelle are fit enough to compete. O’Gara strongly denied that was the case, saying that his team are actually fitter this season than last.
“It’s another negative rumour that, like the others, is everywhere in La Rochelle,” said the former Munster and Ireland out-half.
Whatever about their physical condition, it’s clear that La Rochelle have not been playing at the level they were when winning their back-to-back Champions Cup titles. They’re sixth in the Top 14 after up-and-down results, the low point of which was a home defeat to minnows Vannes.
La Rochelle captain Grégory Alldritt was on media duty this week and he stated his total belief that the team is going in the right direction, while revealing that his own uptick in form over the last month has been helped by losing 2kg in weight.
The French media have also been focusing on Leinster, of course, with Midi Olympique saying that the style of play under Jacques Nienaber is “much less slick” than was the case before. They believe this only adds pressure on Leinster to finally win the title. “The end justifies the means,” writes Vincent Bissonet.
Leinster’s attack has been a big focus at home too, with many of their fans hoping to see more classic flowing Leinster attack in between the stunning defensive work that Nienaber is leading.
“From an attack point of view, we’re probably making too many simple errors at the wrong time which is stopping our kind of flow which is stopping our ability to build and probably look good,” said Leinster attack coach Tyler Bleyendaal.
“Big picture-wise, we’re still scoring points, we’re getting the opportunities, we’re very clinical at times and we’re getting points from that. I think we can just do a better job.”
Bleyendaal also pointed out that the attack and defence aren’t separate things, with Leinster still finding their best rhythm in this regard.
“Myself and Jacques work closely together,” said Bleyendaal. “You defend to get the ball back and once you get the ball back, now I must understand his defensive system and who is going to be available to attack.
“And likewise when we’re attacking and if we turn it over, now we’ve got to understand how to scramble to defend. It’s all intertwined together. The kicking game ties it all together.”
Sam Prendergast will direct much of that kicking game although he’s sure to lean on the massive kicking games of left wing Jamie Osborne and fullback Jordie Barrett, the latter having been promoted into the starting XV on account of the luckless Tommy O’Brien being ruled out due to an injury during the captain’s run on Friday.
Key to La Rochelle’s kicking game will be 34-year-old fullback Brice Dulin, who remains an important playmaker for O’Gara’s team.
The Top 14 outfit will be going all-out at the set-piece too. The scrum battle should be fascinating, all the more so because Leinster are continuing with the experiment of using Andrew Porter off the bench, with the Ireland loosehead expected to come on for Cian Healy in the first half. With La Rochelle props Reda Wardi and Uini Atonio searching for penalties, referee Nika Amashukeli should have a busy day.
The lineout contest will be intriguing, with La Rochelle forwards coach Donnacha Ryan having pored over the Leinster set-piece work. Blindside flanker Ryan Baird’s return to fitness and his form against Munster last time out should help Leinster in that battle.
Nienaber’s defence will be pivotal here. Leinster have limited La Rochelle to scoring just 13 points and nine points in their two most recent meetings, so they’ll be aiming for something similar again.
O’Gara opted for a 7/1 bench to give his team additional forward power in the second half, with 20-year-old wing Hoani Bosmorin set to also cover scrum-half. Replacement flanker Levani Botia hasn’t played at centre for a few years but he has experience there too.
There’s also the fact that La Rochelle backs like Ihaia West, Jonathan Danty, and Raymond Rhule are injured, while Teddy Thomas is suspended so there weren’t extensive options for O’Gara to choose from.
Even with a late reshuffle after O’Brien’s injury, Leinster’s array of riches is impressive. Ciarán Frawley comes into the number 23 shirt after Barrett’s promotion and he’s part of a very punchy-looking bench with Gus McCarthy, Porter, Rabah Slimani, RG Snyman, Jack Conan, Luke McGrath, and Ross Byrne.
That depth of quality is why many here in France view Leinster as the probable victors of this clash, with the Irish province seen as fairly firm favourites.
Still, Stade Rochelais have a point to prove given the pressure they’ve been under and because Leinster beat them twice last season, including at their beloved Stade Marcel Deflandre. These are great rivals, although they are united by one thing – aiming to dethrone Toulouse.
La Rochelle is a beautiful place but this should be a brutal battle.
STADE ROCHELAIS: Brice Dulin; Jack Nowell, Ulupano Seuteni, Jules Favre, Dillyn Leyds; Antoine Hastoy, Tawera Kerr-Barlow; Reda Wardi, Quentin Lespiaucq, Uini Atonio; Thomas Lavault, Kane Douglas; Paul Boudehent, Oscar Jegou, Grégory Alldritt (captain).
Replacements: Nikoloz Sutidze, Alexandre Kaddouri, Georges-Henri Colombe, Ultan Dillane, Levani Botia, Judicaël Cancoriet, Matthias Haddad, Hoani Bosmorin.
LEINSTER: Jordie Barrett; Jimmy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, Jamie Osborne; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Cian Healy, Rónan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (captain).
Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Andrew Porter, Rabah Slimani, RG Snyman, Jack Conan, Luke McGrath, Ross Byrne, Ciarán Frawley.
Referee: Nika Amashukeli [Georgia].
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