Munster captain Peter O’Mahony returns to action for Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup last-16 showdown against La Rochelle as the Irish province travels to the Stade Marcel-Deflandre for a high-stakes knockout tie making his first appearance since his final Ireland cap in the Six Nations win over Italy on March 15 joins Gavin Coombes and John Hodnett in a dynamic back row Hodnett has overcome a thigh injury to retain his place Interim head coach Ian Costello has made several key changes for Munster’s first competitive meeting with the reigning European champions.  Jean Kleyn returns to the second row alongside Tadhg Beirne while Thaakir Abrahams slots in at fullback for his first appearance since December The South Africa-born back previously featured on the wing in all five of his Munster outings with Sean O’Brien replacing the suspended Alex Nankivell in midfield Nankivell’s red card against Connacht last weekend was upheld following an unsuccessful appeal Craig Casey and Jack Crowley continue in the halfbacks has struggled for form with seven defeats and a draw in its last eight games the squad is bolstered by the return of experienced scrumhalf Tawera Kerr-Barlow as they chase a third straight European title Saturday’s clash promises intensity and emotion with Munster aiming to build on last week's United Rugby Championship win over Connacht while La Rochelle looks to rediscover its championship pedigree on home soil Make sure to refresh this article for live updates Watch Live Munster has pulled off one of the great European away wins in its storied history stunning two-time defending champion La Rochelle 25-24 in a Heineken Champions Cup Round of 16 thriller at Stade Marcel-Deflandre In a pulsating encounter drenched in drama it was Jack Crowley’s nerveless second-half drop goal that ultimately separated the sides handing Munster a signature win that will live long in the memory.  Every player from 1 to 23 played their part in an all-time Munster performance defying the odds and the hostile French crowd to book their place in the quarterfinals The game opened in typical La Rochelle fashion with the team's forward power and early dominance yielding the first try through Levani Botia after Munster was reduced to 14 men following Andrew Smith’s yellow card sparked by a slicing Thaakir Abrahams break that led to a Craig Casey try A penalty from Ihaia West saw the French side go into the break 10-7 ahead but momentum began shifting decisively in Munster’s favor in the second half Gavin Coombes and Andrew Smith dotted down either side of the 50-minute mark as Munster bravely turned down kicks at goal in favor of the corner A yellow card to Dillyn Leyds further compounded La Rochelle’s struggles while the visitors’ halfback duo of Casey and Crowley began to exert their class A controversial penalty try – which also saw Alex Kendellen sin-binned – clawed them back into the contest at 22-17 But just when the pressure was at its peak Munster's captain Tadhg Beirne and his forwards delivered a massive defensive stand before Crowley calmly slotted a sensational drop goal to extend the lead to eight as La Rochelle’s Antoine Hastoy produced a moment of magic— a touch-finder a cross-field kick and a touchline conversion after Hoani Bosmorin’s 77th-minute try.  The Stade Marcel-Deflandre faithful roared even as boos rained down in the dying moments after Fineen Wycherley escaped punishment for a high tackle Referee Andrea Piardi waved away the appeals and the final whistle sparked wild celebrations from the traveling Red Army This was a monumental effort from Munster - a team with a proud European tradition - writing another unforgettable chapter against a club many thought unbeatable at home it was a painful loss to the club he once led to continental glory it was vindication — a reminder that the province remains a European force to be feared thank you for following along on this incredible journey This has been another all time great day in Europe for the Irish province The boos are raining down from the La Rochelle fans who feel that Fineen Wycherley got away with a high tackle late on This is a signature win for this group of Munster players We are in for a grandstand finish here folks!  Antoine Hastoy has been huge here since he came on Just minutes after Josh Wycherley wins a turnover This is a huge defensive shift from the visitors!  Jack Crowley lands a beauty of a drop goal to take Munster more than a score clear!  O'Gara surely will appreciate what his successor has just done you could view that incident in a multitude of ways.  The match officials watched about 10 replays and had multiple ideas of what happened La Rochelle has emptied its bench and is going back to the power game.  but is starting to leak penalties just 5 meters from the line it will go a long way with less than 15 minutes Craig Casey and Jack Crowley are playing at a level we have not seen since Munster's run to the URC title.  The duo are smashing every player who comes into their vicinity!  but Munster is fighting for every inch here The smallest man on the field disrupts La Rochelle's maul and Munster now has a line-out to clear its lines and La Rochelle sets up a strong maul!  Munster is flexing its muscles here!  Munster turns a shot at goal and goes for the corner Munster wins a textbook line-out and goes through a few quick phases before Craig Casey finds Andrew Smith on the wing!  but the La Rochelle winger gets a hand in there a stops the score Munster is upping the gears here and frustrating the hosts but the Munster scramble defense is up to the challenge These are the moments that could be key when it is all said and done Calvin Nash has saved Munster there!  La Rochelle launched some beautiful interplay and looked for all money to be in for the try!  who smashes Oscar Jegou into touch to save Munster temporarily Calvin Nash chases perfectly from the kickoff and wins a turnover penalty immediately!  and we are back on level terms early in the second half Jack Crowley gets us underway here in the setting sunshine of La Rochelle This promises to be a titanic 40 minutes ahead physical first half at Stade Marcel-Deflandre sees La Rochelle take a narrow 10-7 lead over Munster into the break in this Heineken Champions Cup clash The hosts struck first through Levani Botia after winger Andrew Smith was shown a harsh yellow card for hands in the ruck in the 11th minute Botia powering over to put the home side 7-0 ahead Munster weathered that early storm and clawed its way back The spark came via South African signing Thaakir Abrahams whose slicing run tore open the La Rochelle defense with Jack Crowley converting to level the match and despite Ihaia West seeing yellow for a high tackle on Sean O’Brien Munster dominated territory late in the half but couldn’t convert pressure into points La Rochelle earned a penalty in front of the posts calmly slotted the kick to edge his side ahead 10-7 at the whistle Both sides have shown flashes of brilliance in a half that has lived up to the pre-match hype Ihaia West knocks over an easy three points to hand the home side a narrow 10-7 lead at halftime This contest has lived up to everything fans hoped ahead of kickoff This is what Champions Cup rugby is all about!  but La Rochelle are edging the scrum battle Munster really is putting the squeeze on the hosts here La Rochelle has stood up to the pressure.  How long they can hold Munster out remains to be seen That is why Munster signed Thaakir Abrahams!  The South African winger shredded the La Rochelle defense It is now La Rochelle's turn to be down a player with their fly-half Ihaia West going high on Munster center Sean O'Brien There was much deliberation between Tadhg Beirne and referee Andrea Piardi.  Munster has done well to hold out La Rochelle which hasn't been spectacular through the opening 20 minutes with winger Andrew Smith sent to the sin bin for hands in the ruck.  La Rochelle immediately took advantage through Levani Botia!  and the incident was far from a try-scoring opportunity but the referee laid down a marker earlier Stade Rochelais has raced out of the blocks here and has been denied only by the Munster backrow Completing their involvement is John Hodnett and Munster work its way down into the La Rochelle half which races into the lead within the first minute Playing a key role in the buildup was giant tighthead Uini Antonio who pulls off the clever pass to release Teddy Thomas who raced down the wing and released his scrumhalf with two of the passionate fan bases showing out for their teams!  Ihaia West gets us underway in this festival of rugby The home side is playing from right to left in the first half Munster will be without center Alex Nankivell for the tie after the New Zealander was handed a two-match ban following his red card against Connacht.  Nankivell’s failed appeal means Andrew Smith with Sean O’Brien shifting to midfield.  Thaakir Abrahams returns from a shoulder injury at fullback while Peter O’Mahony is back in the back row after recovering from a knock.  Jean Kleyn also steps into the starting XV alongside captain Tadhg Beirne at lock.  Craig Casey and Jack Crowley continue at halfback anchoring a Munster side showing four changes from last weekend.  With Stade Marcel-Deflandre expected to be rocking the stakes couldn’t be higher for both teams - each eyeing not just quarterfinal progression but a springboard for the remainder of the season Despite La Rochelle’s mixed form this season Munster coach Mike Prendergast warned that the two-time defending champions remain a dangerous proposition.  they’re probably feeling that pain,” he said referencing the scrutiny O’Gara’s side have faced after 13 defeats in 24 outings “We don’t want to be the team to give them that confidence.”  seemed fully focused on the challenge ahead and played down any near-term return to coach his boyhood province.  no,” he said when asked about a possible Munster switch “I’m with one of the biggest clubs in Europe While La Rochelle is seeking to spark a turnaround Munster is aiming to build on last weekend’s gritty win over Connacht and fuel hopes of a deep European run La Rochelle head coach Ronan O’Gara has called Saturday’s Champions Cup clash with Munster a meeting of “the sides who have given me the most in rugby.” who led Munster to two Heineken Cup titles as a player now finds himself on the opposite sideline as he attempts to guide La Rochelle past his former province in the last 16 of the Investec Champions Cup.  it marks the first time O’Gara will face Munster as a head coach though he was part of Racing 92’s backroom team when the French side defeated them in 2017.  His old boss Eddie O’Sullivan said O’Gara may feel “conflicted” in the buildup.  “There will be some tugging at his heartstrings for sure,” O’Sullivan told BBC Sport NI The match is streaming live on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States and all of North America The Investec Champions Cup Playoffs kick off with the Round of 16 on April 4 as the Northampton Saints take on Clermont Rugby The remaining seven games of the round will be played April 5-6 The quarterfinals will follow from April 11-13 with a short break until the semifinals on May 2-4 The Champions Cup Final will take place at Principality Stadium in Cardiff Key points of the 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup: FloRugby also is home to match archives and match replays.  Get the most important Rugby stories delivered straight to your inbox You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed La Rochelle head coach Ronan O’Gara conceded that it was “pretty ironic” how Munster won their Investec Champions Cup clash at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre The Irish province stunned the French giants It moved them into the last-eight of the competition where they will face either Bordeaux-Begles or Ulster Jack Crowley’s drop-goal, which was rather reminiscent of what Munster legend O’Gara did over the years The Ireland fly-half was also named the official player of the match as the La Rochelle head coach admitted that the irony was not lost on him “I’m obviously gutted but I think you’ve got to compliment and congratulate Munster on how they constructed their victory,” he told reporters “It was pretty ironic how they won it getting it out to eight points with a peach of a drop-goal I’ve seen a lot of good drop-goals but that’s a top-class one “For a second I thought Jack Crowley was with me then you’re like ‘that’s the wrong team’.” 👉 La Rochelle v Munster: Five takeaways as Irish province pip hosts in ‘Ronan O’Gara derby’ 👉 Munster player ratings: Jack Crowley produces ‘Ronan O’Gara-esque’ display as ‘utterly exceptional’ Tadhg Beirne heroic Despite taking La Rochelle to successive Champions Cup titles O’Gara now finds himself under pressure following their dreadful run of form They have not won a game in any competition since January 4 – a 22-19 triumph over a second-string Toulouse – and are starting to look over their shoulder in the Top 14 La Rochelle currently reside in 10th position domestically and are just 10 points ahead of bottom placed Vannes it’s the same standard if not better with the teams coming The opposition isn’t going to get any weaker,” he said “We’re missing a key ingredient which is confidence and belief but we have to find that quickly “I was hoping [the Munster game] would turn our season but we have to go back to the drawing board and see what can be resurrected.” While there was obvious disappointment for O’Gara the match between these two sides lit up an otherwise disappointing Champions Cup round of 16 It was easily the best of the contests on Friday and Saturday with the two sets of supporters adding extra colour to a dramatic encounter in France “When I [came] here I tried to bring so much of what’s good about Munster to La Rochelle,” the Ireland great added “I knew that the two supporters would get on like a house on fire “I always knew there was a huge performance in Munster today They love coming to France and they’ve been doing it for 25 years.” 👀 READ MORE: La Rochelle v Munster: Winners and losers as ‘the heat is on’ Ronan O’Gara while visitors’ Ireland stars lead the way Ronan O’Gara has explained his fleeting 23-word Top 14 media briefing on Thursday before he walked out on reporters in France Former England star Andy Goode has named the FIVE Lions wannabes he believes have most to gain on Investec Champions Cup quarter-final weekend Jack Crowley had attracted major interest from Leicester Tigers for next season Our Champions Cup Team of the Week following the round-of-16 action The 2022 and 2023 Champions Cup winners showcased their resilience and composure under pressure overcoming Bath’s spirited second-half fightback in the pounding rain that never stopped.  capitalizing on Bath's errors and asserting dominance in the opening stages after Finn Russell had given Bath the early lead Reda Wardi added another in the 26th minute Scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow further extended La Rochelle’s lead with a try in the 31st minute giving them a commanding 21-6 advantage at halftime Bath’s points in the first half came from two Russell penalties as they struggled to break through La Rochelle’s disciplined defence Tom Dunn powered over the line in the 47th minute and Russell’s conversion narrowed the gap to 21-13 Quinn Roux added another try for Bath in the 56th minute with Russell converting again to bring the score to 21-20 added a crucial penalty in the 58th minute through West Despite relentless pressure from Bath in the final quarter stood firm to claim a 24 - 20 win to start their campaign La Rochelle’s victory reinforces their reputation as one of the competition's most formidable teams in Pool 2 despite an up-and-down Top 14 season will have to rebound quickly with Benetton and a trip to Italy in Round 2.  La Rochelle will host another Premiership team in Round 2 Kerr-Barlow (31’); Conversions – West (18’ Every match of the Investec Champions Cup is streaming on FloRugby and the FloSports app.  Twenty-four clubs have qualified for the 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup as follows: The Investec Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup begin Dec and the four-round pool-play action ends Jan The EPCR Championships weekend is in Cardiff There are championship games on May 23 (EPCR Challenge Cup) and May 24 (Investec Champions Cup).  FloRugby and FloSports also are the US home to:  Two of the last three times La Rochelle has played Leinster has been in the Investec Champions Cup playoffs.  The most recent time was in last year's quarterfinal match where Leinster walloped Stade Rochelais 40-13 in Dublin before going on to lose the Grand Final to Toulouse.  Leinster will be heading to Stade Marcel-Deflandre in La Rochelle Both teams are comfortably positioned at the top of Pool 2 but this game offers a chance for someone to separate from the pack and cement their spot in the Round of 16.  Here's everything to know as Leinster plays La Rochelle on Jan The 2025 Investec Champions Cup will be broadcast on FloRugby and the FloSports App in the United States and Canada. The match kicks off at 10:15 a.m. ET on Jan. 12 at Stade Marcel-Deflandre in La Rochelle, France.  Substitutes: 16. Nika Sutidze, 17. Alexandre Kaddouri, 18. Georges-Henri Colombe, 19. Ultan Dillane, 20. Levani Botia, 21. Judicael Cancoriet, 22. Matthias Haddad, 23. Hoani Bosmorin Substitutes: 16. Gus McCarthy, 17. Andrew Porter, 18. Rabah Slimani, 19. RG Snyman, 20. Jack Conan, 21. Luke McGrath, 22. Ross Byrne, 23. Jordie Barrett The Investec Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup begin Dec. 6, and the four-round pool-play action ends Jan. 19, 2025. The Round of 16 starts on April 4, while the quarterfinals are April 11-13. The semifinals are May 2-4.  The EPCR Championships weekend is in Cardiff, Wales, at Principality Stadium. There are championship games on May 23 (EPCR Challenge Cup) and May 24 (Investec Champions Cup).  FloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S. home to:  Get the most important Rugby stories delivered straight to your inbox. ©2006 - Present FloSports, Inc. All rights reserved. La Rochelle stormed to a comprehensive 35-7 victory over the Bristol Bears in their Investec Champions Cup clash on Saturday, showcasing their dominance in front of a raucous home crowd. Jack Nowell opened the scoring for La Rochelle in the 16th minute, finishing off a sweeping move with a clinical try.  Tolu Latu added another in the 27th minute, with Ihaia West converting both to give the reigning champions a 14-0 lead. The Bears responded just before halftime with a well-worked try by Jack Bates, converted by Sam Worsley, narrowing the deficit to 14-7 at the break. However, that was as close as the visitors would get. La Rochelle took complete control in the second half, using its physicality and attacking precision to dismantle the Bears’ defense.  Levani Botia powered over in the 50th minute, followed by a stunning individual effort from UJ Seuteni in the 65th minute.  Thomas Berjon sealed the bonus-point win in the dying minutes, capping a brilliant display with a try under the posts. West was flawless from the tee, converting all five of La Rochelle’s tries to contribute 10 points.  The French side’s depth shined through, with impactful performances from substitutes, such as Botia and Ultan Dillane. For the Bears, a lack of discipline proved costly.  Gabriel Oghre’s early yellow card set a poor tone, and their inability to sustain possession left them under constant pressure.  Despite flashes of promise, including Bates’ try, the English side struggled to match La Rochelle’s intensity and accuracy. The result cements La Rochelle’s status as the tournament favorite, while Bristol faces an uphill battle to recover in the competition. Stade Rochelais will host Leinster at 10:15 a.m. ET on Jan. 11 in one of the most anticipated matches of the competition. The Bears will host Benetton at 10.15 am ET on Jan. 12.   The EPCR Championships weekend is in Cardiff, Wales at Principality Stadium. There are championship games on May 23 (EPCR Challenge Cup) and May 24 (Investec Champions Cup).  The province he piloted to their trophy wins in 2006 and 2008 may not have added a third triumph since those halcyon days but Munster are still inspired to produce extraordinary wins on unforgettable days Munster were likes dogs with a bone in withstanding spells of ferocious home pressure, nobody epitomising their resilience more than Tadhg Beirne. But this was very much a team effort featuring special displays by unsung heroes such as Andrew Smith and Seán O’Brien, as well as more obvious ones like Gavin Coombes and John Hodnett in the backrow, and the excellent Calvin Nash, as well as Craig Casey and Jack Crowley at halfback. In a contest that throbbed from start to finish, their calmness and game management were crucial. Munster also edged the kicking and aerial games. This evoked some of the great days since the Red Army came into being a quarter of a century ago. An estimated 3,000 Munster fans could make themselves heard among the din created by the home crowd in the Stade Deflandre’s 105th full-house in succession. Everybody wore red or yellow, and roared. In temperatures of 18 degrees at the kick-off time of 6.30pm this was not a place for the faint-hearted or a neutral, and in sea of yellow and pockets of red, there was certainly none of the latter. Some of the Round of 16 scorelines leading into this game had arguably brought the competition into disrepute, but after the first four ties averaged 80 points this was real, proper knock-out Champions Cup rugby. Cue the 10-7 half-time scoreline in favour of the home side. La Rochelle were quicker into their stride with Teddy Thomas, notionally named at outside centre but popping up everywhere including customary position on the touchline, clearly in the mood. Jack Nowell was also proving elusive on the right edge and Ihaia West pulled the strings. And with both Uini Atonio and Will Skelton being used as distributors as much as carriers, La Rochelle were able to bunch Munster defenders and find space out wide. This appeared to have yielded a try in just 45 seconds for Tawera Kerr-Barlow but after the missed conversion the Italian TMO Matteo Liperini correctly alerted his compatriot Andrea Piardi to Thomas’s right heel brushing the touchline when seeking to avoid the diving tackle of Thaakir Abrahams. The first period pivoted on two soft yellow cards, especially the first one against Smith after he briefly planted his hand on the ground before competing for a jackal after a good covering tackle. Although the ensuing maul was well defended, Grégory Alldritt released UJ Seuteni into space and after beasting one tackle he offloaded out of another for Levani Botia to score. West converted. Munster somehow held on for the remainder of Smith’s binning thanks in the main to their scramble defence, typified by Hodnett snaffling a loose offload by Skelton and Beirne’s covering tackle to force a knock-on by Seuteni. Whereupon the momentum shifted when West was binned for an upright, high tackle on O’Brien, albeit there was little or no force in the contact. Munster immediately brought their fans to vibrant, flag-waving life. Crowley fielded a fairly aimless kick by Dillyn Leyds but the chase was at best perfunctory. So, when Abrahams took Crowley’s pass he weighed up his options before suddenly stepping in and out again between Botia and Thomas to break clear, the alert Casey quickly alongside him in support to score by the posts. In truth, Munster then left a couple of chances behind, albeit La Rochelle responded to the roars of their supporters with some meaty defensive sets, typified by Jean Kleyn losing the ball when hit hard by Thomas Lavault. After Beirne nearly picked off a pass by Kerr-Barlow, a sequence of penalties and come curious decisions by Piardi helped La Rochelle generate a head of steam, and after a vital tackle by O’Brien on Thomas close to the try-line, conceding a tap over penalty to West with the last kick of the half was not a bad outcome for Munster. This was even truer on the resumption when Nash followed up the restart to win a penalty in the jackal over Alldritt and Crowley drew the sides level. Nash then followed that up with a try-saving tackle on Oscar Jegou before La Rochelle hammered at the Munster line and Leyds’s long pass gave Thomas a routine run in on the left wing. Or it would have done if Thomas had not stepped back into traffic to be tackled by Tom Farrell before the home side were held up over the line. That seemed even more significant when in Coombes raced on to West and extended himself to make the charge down before showing neat football skills and composure to gather and score under pressure. A penalty try for Munster might have followed after some lovely handling on the left edge ended with Leyds being binned for a one-handed knock-down of O’Brien’s pass inside for Abrahams. Never mind. Munster went to the corner, Coombes sprang from the maul and though held up inches short, presented the ball – thanks to a good clearout by Peter O’Mahony, Oli Jager and Hodnett – for Casey to give Smith a close-range touchdown by the corner flag. Chants of Munster and a rendition of The Fields could now be heard above a subdued home crowd, but they and the home team were revived by another questionable scrum penalty and West pinning the penalty into the corner. After a second drive appeared to be brilliantly and legally held up, an interminable amount of replays eventually culminated in Piardi awarding a penalty try and sinbinning an understandably mystified Alex Kendellen. Cue the calming presence of Conor Murray, Munster’s chase forcing a scrum from a perfectly weighted box kick and after O’Brien, Beirne and Stephen Archer carried, Crowley dropped into the pocket to make it an eight-point game with a 40-metre drop goal. But Antoine Hastoy, who had a dramatic impact on his introduction, drew in the Munster defence with a strike play off a lineout before crosskicking with the outside of his boot for Hoani Bosmorin to score. Hastoy also landed the difficult conversion to make it a one-point game and when a scrum penalty gave them one last attacking effort, it all came down to one final defensive set by Munster and Fineen Wycherley’s tackle on Jegou. The latter was rightly pinged for holding on after the tackle but only after home players, crowd and big screen producer compelled him to loom again at the tackle amid desperate howls that it was a neck roll. SCORING SEQUENCE – 12 mins: Botia try, West con, 7-0; 24: Casey try, Crowley con, 7-7; 40 (+3): West pen, 10-7; (half-time 10-7); 42: Crowley pen, 10-10; 48: Coombes try, Crowley con, 10-17; 52: Smith try, 10-22; 66: Penalty try 17-22; 69: Crowley drop goal, 17-25; 77: Bosmorin try, Hastoy con, 24-25. LA ROCHELLE: Dillyn Leyds; Jack Nowell, Teddy Thomas, UJ Seuteni, Hoani Bosmorin; Ihaia West, Tawera Kerr-Barlow; Reda Wardi, Pierre Bourgarit, Uini Atonio; Thomas Lavault, Will Skelton; Levani Botia, Oscar Jegou, Grégory Alldritt (capt). Replacements: Quentin Lespiaucq for Bourgarit, Judicael Cancoriet for Botia, Jules Favre for Nowell (all 48 mins); Aleksandre Kuntelia for Atonio, Antoine Hastoy for Seuteni (both 53); Alexandre Kaddouri for Wardi (55); Ultan Dillane for Lavault (56); Matthias Haddad for West (65). Yellow cards: West (23 mins); Leyds (51 mins). MUNSTER: Thaakir Abrahams; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Seán O’Brien, Andrew Smith; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Diarmuid Barron, Oli Jager; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne (capt); Peter O’Mahony, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes. Replacements: Josh Wycherley for Loughman (12 mins); Stephen Archer for Jager, Fineen Wycherley for Kleyn, Tom Ahern for O’Mahony (all 54); Rory Scannell for Abrahams (56); Alex Kendellen for Hodnett (64); Niall Scannell for Barron, Conor Murray for Casey (both 67). Yellow cards: Smith (10 mins); Kendellen (66). Gerry Thornley is Rugby Correspondent of The Irish Times Facebook pageTwitter feed© 2025 The Irish Times DAC Benetton will welcome heavy-hitting La Rochelle to Treviso for the Round 4 Investec Champions Cup match.  The Italian side needs a win to keep up with the rest of Pool 2 and secure a spot in the Round of 16 Benetton has faired well thus far in the Champions Cup That's good enough for fourth place in Pool 2 good enough for second place behind Leinster.  Here's what to know as Benetton hosts La Rochelle on Jan The 2025 Investec Champions Cup will be broadcast on FloRugby and the FloSports App in the United States and Canada. 18 at Stadio Comunale di Monigo in Treviso The 30th Investec Champions Cup competition is considered by many to be the best professional rugby tournament in the world and just a level below international test rugby.  The competition features 24 clubs divided into four pools of six clubs and the top 16 clubs advance to the knockout stage with the goal of making it in Cardiff Wales – which hosted the first Champions Cup Final– and Principality Stadium on May 24.  One of the teams looking to advance to the EPCR Final is Stade Rochelais, or La Rochelle Rugby, which is in Pool 2.  Here are a few things to know about La Rochelle Rugby: La Rochelle is fourth in the Top 14 table after eight rounds.  An injury-plagued season that never really saw La Rochelle get momentum like the previous two campaigns when the team won the Champions Cup La Rochelle narrowly escaped the Round of 16 after the DHL Stormers scored in the 79th minute.  A failed conversion propelled La Rochelle to the quarterfinals where Leinster -- the club it beat two years in row in the Final -- demolished them It was the second loss to Leinster during the Champions Cup run the two clubs meet again in Round 3 of pool play in January.  La Rochelle won back-to-back Champions Cup titles in 2022 and 2023 and made three straight Champions Cup Finals losing in 2021 to top 14 rival Toulouse.  The Top 14 has produced every Champions Cup winner since 2021.  La Rochelle rivalry even more intriguing is that former Munster Rugby star Ronan O'Gara has been the La Rochelle coach since 2019.  He played in 240 matches for Munster from 1997-2013 and played in 128 matches for Ireland before becoming a coach O'Gara coached at Racing 92 and with the Crusaders in Super Rugby before taking the La Rochelle job.  The 47-year-old is considered one of the best coaches in the world and likely would be at the top of Ireland's list if Andy Farrell ever left the national team.  7 rugby team in the world in the FloRugby top 50 list.  La Rochelle plays in the Stade Marcel Deflandre in La Rochelle Here is the La Rochelle Rugby Champions Cup schedule: Every La Rochelle Rugby match in the Investec Champions Cup is streaming live in the United States and Canada on FloRugby and the FloSports app.  Key points for the 2024-2025 EPCR Challenge Cup: the TOP 14 and the Gallagher Premiership that have not qualified for the 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup will compete in the 2024-2025 EPCR Challenge Cup the winner of the 2024 EPCR Challenge Cup will secure a place in the 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup replacing the eighth-ranked club in its league and the four-round pool-play action ends on Jan Ronan O’Gara has explained his fleeting 23-word media briefing on Thursday before he walked out on reporters Hurting from La Rochelle’s recent Investec Champions Cup round of 16 elimination at home to Munster the French club boss was due to set the scene ahead of his team’s Top 14 match this Saturday against Bayonne the Irishman abruptly exited after a 23-word statement on a match that his struggling 10th-place team need to win to keep alive their season The back-to-back 2022 and 2023 European champions have won just eight of their 20 league matches so far this term and while they are just four points behind the sixth-place Clermont, who occupy the last qualifying place for the play-off with six rounds of matches remaining, O’Gara’s walk-out laid bare his frustrations over his team’s inconsistency See you on Saturday,” he said before heading for the exit O’Gara has since explained what happened, writing on Friday in his latest Irish Examiner newspaper column: “I didn’t go there with the intention of cutting things short Bayonne is coming on Saturday and it’s time to get down to business.” We probably don’t realise a lot of things what I wouldn’t give for just one win “Since the week of the Munster match I have been telling myself that we have to win against Bayonne READ MORE: Ex-England fly-half tells the ‘scarred’ Johnny Sexton how to resolve his ‘irritable fury’ with Finn Russell Jack Crowley has put Ronan O'Gara under even more pressure following La Rochelle's Champions Cup elimination Our five takeaways from Munster's 25-24 win over La Rochelle in their Investec Champions Cup encounter at the Stade Marcel Deflandre on Saturday Our winners and losers from Munster's narrow 25-24 victory over La Rochelle in the Champions Cup round-of-16 Jack Nowell has revealed plans to finish his playing career back where it all started – in his native Cornwall The La Rochelle winger was five when he took up rugby at Penzance and Newlyn RFC – the Cornish Pirates junior section – and although he cried at his first training session Nowell’s love affair with the game had started He progressed well in the Penzance and Newlyn youth ranks and experienced men’s rugby for a brief period with Pirates Amateurs and was scouted by Exeter Chiefs who signed him into their Academy Nowell was also selected to play for Cornwall’s U18 team and England‘s U18 U20 and Saxons teams before progressing to the senior Red Rose side and also representing the British & Irish Lions He left Exeter to join French Top 14 outfit La Rochelle in the summer of 2023 and is contracted there until 2027 – but will return to his home county at some point Nowell told Planet Rugby: “I certainly would move back to Cornwall at some stage and have promised my old local club “I would love to represent Cornwall and hopefully get to a final at Twickenham one day with them whether I finish here at the end of my contract with La Rochelle – or whether I go back to England – you never know what’s going to happen “But certainly at the end of this contract I won’t be thinking about slowing down just yet.” Asked if he could play in the Premiership again one day Nowell replied: “I would certainly never say never ‘He’s like the lost Jedi’ – Why ‘god’ Jonny Wilkinson is still inspiring Toulon as they prepare for Toulouse showdown “I don’t have a clear view on when I’m going to retire or anything. “Everyone says ‘I want to play until I’m 32 or I want to play until I’m 36’ but I have no plans on stopping.” Playing in France prevents English players from representing England but Nowell remains a big supporter of the national side He added: “I was lucky enough to be involved with England the majority of the times I was fit “I was there or thereabout with the team but it can be really difficult when you’re amongst the squad but not quite there but sometimes a loss might help you and might help you get in the team the week after “Sometimes when you’re injured it’s hard but now I’m completely away from the system – and I can’t play for England – you want the boys to do well “They’ve obviously got quite a lot of heat in the media in the past couple of years but some of my best mates still play for England “You can see the effort there and I’m sure Steve Borthwick is saying the right things but I went over and watched a couple of England games in the recent Six Nations “It was actually awesome to be at the games but what I really missed was being part of the boys walking out and singing the national anthem “But the Top 14 is a brilliant league at the moment and every single game is sold out and a massive event home and away with fireworks and flares READ MORE: Leinster make surprise selection call as FOUR Ireland stars drop to the bench while Glasgow Warriors lose Scotland stalwart Jack Nowell has hailed the appointment of Rob Hunter at Exeter Chiefs Jack Nowell says playing for La Rochelle has given him a new lease of life as he bids to help them beat Munster in the Champions Cup Round of 16 Mako Vunipola has revealed the achievement he says would match anything in a career spanning three Lions tours Jack Nowell reflects on La Rochelle's defeat to Leinster in the Champions Cup last season and reveals that he still has Lions ambitions La Rochelle head coach Ronan O’Gara believes his side’s labored 22-19 win over a youthful Toulouse team in the Top 14 on Saturday must serve as a “wake-up call” ahead of a crucial Investec Champions Cup showdown with Leinster this weekend was anything but smooth sailing for the reigning Champions Cup titlists.  O’Gara was blunt in his postgame assessment “We need to change something—if I knew what La Rochelle now faces familiar rival Leinster the team it defeated in back-to-back Champions Cup finals in 2022 and 2023.  While Leo Cullen’s side boasts a flawless record this season with 11 wins in all competitions sitting sixth in the Top 14 with eight wins and six losses O’Gara’s men top Pool 2 of the Champions Cup having defeated Bath and Bristol before Christmas The Irishman acknowledged that recent success has brought challenges particularly in maintaining high standards without creating a negative atmosphere.  Real competitors stick together and work harder.” O’Gara also reflected on his coaching methods admitting that his intense demands may have stifled some players.  “High standards can be confused with negativity," he added "I’ve ‘frozen’ some players with the pressure I’ve put them under It’s a good lesson for me—I’ve got to change my management Hastoy’s composed match-winning penalty was a bright spot in an otherwise frustrating performance.  “I’m really pleased for Antoine,” O’Gara said He hopes Hastoy’s resilience will inspire the rest of the squad as they prepare for Leinster’s visit but we need to change the atmosphere,” O’Gara concluded If we want to win the Champions Cup year after year we need to work harder and forget the past With Leinster arriving on the back of an unbeaten run La Rochelle’s resolve will be tested like never before.  Sunday’s clash represents an opportunity to prove that he can turn the tide on what feels like a slightly declining squad Jack Nowell says playing for La Rochelle has given him a new lease of life as he bids to help them beat Munster and reach the Investec Champions Cup quarter-finals The former Exeter Chiefs and England winger made the move to the Top 14 outfit in the summer of 2023 and his young family initially found the relocation difficult his family have gradually settled on the west coast of France and he extended his stay with the two-time Champions Cup winners until 2027 Ahead of Saturday’s Round of 16 Champions Cup home clash with Munster, Nowell is loving life with Ronan O’Gara‘s men told Planet Rugby: “I feel better than I have done for a long time in my career “I went through a stage at Exeter of always being in big games but I picked up so many injuries and needed operations in the summer “I just went into a cycle of ‘injury rehab’ and fighting to get back and stay fit “Luckily for me I was always there for the big games at Twickenham and European finals “But I just feel a bit different out here Whether it’s the change of environment “I’m playing good rugby at the moment and ROG is very good at looking after his players and knowing what’s needed Chris Robshaw’s warning to ‘class act’ Fin Smith ahead of ‘really important evening’ for English rugby “The Top 14 is such a long season and I feel like I’m in a really good place.” O’Gara played in 240 matches and scored 2,625 points in his illustrious career where he established himself as perhaps the greatest player to ever play for Munster for nearly two decades from 1997-2013 face a mountainous task to beat the Irishman’s former club “Our league form isn’t the best at the moment so to beat Munster would be massive,” added Nowell “But that’s the beauty of the Champions Cup – you can use the momentum from winning league games or as a fresh start in a new competition “We have mixed it up a bit this week and this competition is massive not only for the history that ROG has in it – winning it back to back with La Rochelle in 2022 and 2023 “I saw the bus and trophy parade from afar on social media so I’m desperate to help the club achieve that again “It looked amazing and I’ve spoken to the boys about it who all said it was unbelievable “I’ve loved to help us create more history but there’s a hell of a long way to go before we can start thinking about that “Munster are a pretty awesome team and their history speaks for itself Springboks legend: ‘Go-go gadget arm Viking’ RG Snyman adds a ‘different element’ for Leinster “But if there’s a team who know how to win it then it’s our team “I had my success at Exeter and that’s why I wanted to come to La Rochelle and play for ROG “They had obviously just won two back-to-back European Cups and hadn’t won the Top 14 but straight away ROG was talking about winning more trophies “The ambition from the club comes from the top and that spurs me on to help deliver more success.” Nowell, meanwhile, will wear a specially designed pair of boots against Munster for the 2025 Wings For Life World Run which is raising money and awareness for the spinal cord research foundation Red Bull athlete Nowell will then offer the one-of-a-kind boots crafted by award-winning artist Jordan Dawson as a prize to one lucky member of his Wings for Life World Run team after the match To enter the competition and potentially win the exclusive one-of-one boots, participants must register for the Wings for Life World Run and join Nowell’s team via this link Nowell said: “Spinal cord injuries are such a big thing that can happen to a person or a family – you don’t expect them to happen to you “To have a charity like Wings for Life who are raising awareness and research into spinal cord injuries is amazing “I’ll be wearing a pair of boots this weekend which have been custom-made for me “I’m only going to wear them once and then auction them off afterwards to raise money and awareness for the charity.” READ MORE: ‘I’m not delusional’ – Courtney Lawes issues come-and-get-me plea to Andy Farrell ahead of British and Irish Lions tour Jack Nowell has revealed where he plans to finish his playing career Ronan O’Gara played in 240 matches and scored 2,625 points in his illustrious career where he established himself as perhaps the greatest player to ever play for Munster Rugby for nearly two decades from 1997-2013.  O’Gara has established himself as one of the best club rugby coaches in the game today, leading La Rochelle Rugby to back-to-back Investec Champions Cups in 2022 and 2023 He has built La Rochelle into one of Europe's most dominant teams since taking over as coach in 2019.  While O’Gara is under contract with La Rochelle until 2027, there have been murmurings of late that O’Gara maybe moving on before then. And one of those murmurings came last fall when the Munster Rugby job opened.  O’Gara didn’t leave, and Munster chose Clayton McMillian, the coach of the Chiefs in Super Rugby and the All Blacks XV coach instead And that’s the backdrop for the Investec Champions Cup Round of 16’s most interesting match.  which still is being led by interim coach Ian Costello who will move to the general manager role this summer when McMillian takes over.  Munster’s URC season has not gone as planned with a 7-0-7 record after having the best record a year ago.  But Munster finished third in Pool 3 of the Champions Cup and began to turn the season around The team fired its previous coach Graham Rowntree just a few weeks before Round 1 of Pool play.  finished second in Pool 2 and nearly beat Leinster before losing 16-14 And now they host Leinster’s biggest rival The match is streaming live on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States and all of North America.  The Champions Cup Final will take place at Principality Stadium  in Cardiff Helium Market Analysis: Industry Market Size Copyright © ChemAnalyst - 2020 | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy Low-cost carrier Ryanair is increasing the number of flights from La Rochelle airport with four new destinations being served Ryanair will fly to London Stansted five times per week on Tuesdays - Saturdays until October 25.  with one-way tickets costing from €16.99 from the official Ryanair website.  Further expansions will see flights to Dublin – (from May 1) and Cork (June 4) – three and two times per week respectively – as well as to Brussels The routes will finish by the end of October in line with the budget carrier’s close of summer season Ryanair serves three permanent destinations from La Rochelle: Porto These summer routes are a major boost to the airport as aside from the seven Ryanair routes listed above just five services land at La Rochelle.  These are operated by fellow low-cost airline easyJet Included in these are flights to London Gatwick The increase to Ryanair’s routes out of the airport come as the airline’s CEO announced a reduction in flights to and from France.  Michael O’Leary cited low passenger numbers as a reason why services to and from France would be reduced by around 5%, however La Rochelle looks set to escape this cutback.  there are warnings in France over the reliance of regional airports on low-cost routes.  Read more: Which French regional airports are faring well - and which are not Family members argue the money was actually a gift This small department on the German border is home to the historic city of Strasbourg The first half saw La Rochelle apply pressure with Ihaia West kicking them into Munster territory and ultimately slotting a penalty to give his team a narrow lead heading into halftime The second half exploded into action; Munster’s Calvin Nash immediately won a breakdown penalty Nash then made a crucial tackle to prevent a La Rochelle try but their determined and focused defense held La Rochelle up over the try line Munster then took the lead through Gavin Coombes but a continued knock-on by La Rochelle’s Dillyn Leyds resulted in a sin bin and a try for Munster by Andrew Smith and Munster’s Alex Kendellen was sin-binned for collapsing a maul but Crowley extended Munster’s lead with a well-taken drop goal Despite La Rochelle’s persistent attacks the OGara’s side managed a late try and conversion to close the gap in a dramatic final minute though Munster later won a breakdown penalty inside their half as La Rochelle mounted a last-ditch effort A final check for a high tackle against Munster proved inconclusive allowing Crowley to kick the ball out and secure a hard-fought victory for Munster the Champions Cup is set for a potentially captivating round of 16 clash between La Rochelle and Munster now head coach of reigning champions La Rochelle will face his beloved Munster since retiring as a player in 2013 O’Gara is a two-time Champions Cup winner and the tournament’s all-time leading scorer with 1,365 points having scored a staggering 2,571 points in 240 games for Munster leading them to consecutive Champions Cup titles in 2022 and 2023 Munster Captain Tadh Beirne anticipates a fully focused La Rochelle under O’Gara; while La Rochelle has been on a winless streak their strong performance against Leinster earlier in the season suggests their capabilities Munster welcomes back key players for this crucial match; they are buoyed by recent wins and the return of influential players like Jean Kleyn and Peter O’Mahony as they travel to France with high hopes O’Gara has been critical of Munster's performances; in this game While Munster’s passionate supporters are expected to be present in large numbers La Rochelle’s recent form against Leinster makes them slight favorites for this highly anticipated clash Ronan will look to lock horns with former employers for the first time since his playing days; a new derby awaits  Ronan O’Gara has lashed out after his La Rochelle team suffered a shock home defeat to newly-promoted Vannes at the weekend The Ireland legend watched on as his side went down to a 23-14 negative at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre on Saturday La Rochelle have been plagued by inconsistency this season with their loss against Vannes their fifth defeat in 11 Top 14 matches O’Gara is nothing if not honest and did not mince his words following the reversal appearing to question the desire of his players These are three extremely important values ​​and we lacked all three tonight,” he told reporters “The thing that disappoints me the most is the content We didn’t show anything in front of our loyal supporters “It’s a great result for the sport but it’s a catastrophic result for me Vannes learned from last week: if you keep knocking on the door La Rochelle will now take a break from domestic matters to focus on the Champions Cup a competition they won back-to-back in 2022 and 2023 especially with the Munster legend in charge and O’Gara will no doubt seek a huge improvement this weekend “It was a home game to prepare for the European Cup ‘He knows my point of view’ – France star who withdrew from All Blacks clash breaks silence on rumoured Fabien Galthie rift with O’Gara suggesting that they were not motivated heading into this encounter I think I have to shout more during the week Ronan O’Gara has to shout more during the week!” he said The former Ireland fly-half also did not think they were helped by the officiating in what was a stop-start contest “It’s impossible with a referee like that to have any rhythm in the game “We would have liked to have a game to prepare for Europe with a bit of rhythm It felt like the game lasted three hours.” Asked what needs to be altered for their game against Premiership leaders Bath What did we transfer from the training pitch to the match aggression and will… I thought we were done with things like that READ MORE: Ireland great hits out at Andy Farrell’s ‘cruel and unusual punishment’ for Jack Crowley Ronan O’Gara has ominously stated that La Rochelle are “suffering” ahead of their huge Champions Cup clash against Irish giants Leinster this weekend Despite winning the competition over successive years in 2022 and 2023 the French outfit have experienced a downturn in form this season That was evidenced by their disappointing performance against Toulouse in the Top 14 on Saturday Although any win versus Les Rouge et Noir would usually be cherished La Rochelle’s 22-19 triumph came against a very young side Ugo Mola decided to rest his best players ahead of their Champions Cup tie with the Sharks but O’Gara’s fully-loaded team made heavy weather of the contest But it can change,” he told reporters in France but it happens because success creates a lot of problems “We must stop talking about success as real competitors stay united and work harder I’m the leader and we will start that on Monday Bernard Jackman in ‘slippery slope’ warning to the IRFU over Leinster after Munster fans felt ‘short-changed’ with Jack Crowley decision O’Gara was asked about the strength of his squad and the depth they have but the La Rochelle boss has taken responsibility for their issues “I think I can count on more than 35 [players] but they haven’t become bad players in three or six months “I think I’m more responsible than them “It’s true that I froze out a lot of players not capable of managing the pressure put on them I have to change my management a little and we have to change the spirit a little and I hope that it will give something more positive “Leinster arrives on Sunday Maybe it is the wake-up call that we need.” La Rochelle are still in a reasonable position in the Top 14 as they reside in sixth position while they have claimed successive victories in the Champions Cup They will seek to make it three in a row on Sunday but they face a daunting task against Leinster and judging by O’Gara’s ominous tone it could be long 80 minutes for the Frenchmen “I’m not going to lose faith in my players That’s how it is at the moment,” he said And that’s not going to change like that I said that some are ‘frozen’ by my demands but that will free itself up very soon.” READ MORE: Ireland great claims Leinster under ‘even more pressure’ after Jacques Nienaber ‘deprioritised their DNA’ Ronan O’Gara has explained his fleeting 23-word Top 14 media briefing on Thursday before he walked out on reporters in France. Jack Crowley has put Ronan O'Gara under even more pressure following La Rochelle's Champions Cup elimination. Our five takeaways from Munster's 25-24 win over La Rochelle in their Investec Champions Cup encounter at the Stade Marcel Deflandre on Saturday. You don't have permission to access the page you requested. What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed. MOVING ON UP: La Rochelle's Irish coach Ronan O'Gara (C) runs during the warm up ahead of the French Top14 rugby union match between Union Bordeaux-Begles (UBB) and Stade Rochelais (La Rochelle) at the Chaban-Delmas Stadium in Bordeaux, south-western France, on April 26, 2025. Pic: ROMAIN PERROCHEAU/AFP via Getty Images) Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle waited 105 days for one hard-way 21-10 victory over Bordeaux at a sold-out Stade Chaban Delmas on Saturday night It was a confidence smack of a result to the home side ahead of next weekend’s Champions Cup semi-final against Toulouse up the road at the Matmut Atlantique Especially after events in the Pink City a few hours earlier La Rochelle’s veteran tighthead Uini Atonio had insisted the squad still harboured top six ambitions “There are five matches left,” he told journalists I think we’ll qualify.” It seemed far-fetched But the Rochelais came out like they meant it.  An early 100m scare apart – when Dillyn Leyds just beat Damien Penaud to a bouncing ball in the visitors’ in-goal area following Yoram Moefana’s break from under his own posts – they dominated the early exchanges Old hand Jack Nowell won a one-on-one with young gun Louis Bielle-Biarrey to score the game’s opening try after 14 minutes He won the upper hand again 10 minutes later when he beat the Bordeaux flyer to a hack ahead from Cyril Cazeaux – conceding a scrum when a try seemed increasingly likely That woke Bordeaux from their Champions Cup semi-final daydreams They spent the rest of the half pounding away at La Rochelle’s defence and Maxime Lucu lost a photo-finish race with Jules Favre to ground the ball Bordeaux ramped up the pressure again early in the second half But then Jefferson Poirot was sinbinned for a neck roll on Will Skelton Temporary sideline exile was probably safest for him replacement backrow Paul Boudehent intercepted a lazy Lucu pass from a ruck to score La Rochelle’s second And Levani Botia came up with the ball from a 5m maul to extend their lead in the 54th minute Replacement prop Ugo Boniface cut the lead on the hour – after it seemed Nowell had again done just about enough against Bielle-Biarrey This had strong hints of the direct La Rochelle of old Suffocating Bordeaux’s vaunted attack of space in defence and ploughing straight up the guts in attack And though Bordeaux hammered away for the rest of the match Suddenly far-fetched doesn’t seem to be the correct adjective the Top 14’s ‘Fan Days’ Weekend kicked off at a packed Stadium Toulouse where teenage scrum-half Simon Daroque scored one of the reigning Top 14 champions’ seven tries as they ran through their repertoire en route to a 52-6 rout of a rotated Castres But they didn’t have everything their own way Blair Kinghorn is a serious doubt for next weekend’s European last-four meeting with Bordeaux at Matmut Atlantique after suffering suspected knee ligament damage could not take advantage of Castres’ larger-than-expected defeat as they came off second-best in a nine-try 39-31 thriller against Clermont at Stade Marcel Michelin Veteran Ben Urdapilleta – who will retire at the end of the season – scored the decisive try four minutes from time as the hosts leapfrogged their opponents in the standings Fourth-placed Bayonne did benefit from Toulouse’s earlier win opening up a five-point gap over fifth-placed Castres courtesy of a 27-22 win over Pau in a match moved across the Spanish border to Estadio Anoeta Manu Tuilagi broke his Top 14 try duck in his 18th outing since joining the Basque side last summer while 21-year-old fly-half Axel Desperes kicked a tricky bonus point–winning penalty after the hooter moments after missing a similarly difficult shot at goal Stuart Hogg was helped off the pitch with a suspected achilles injury as Montpellier held on to beat Perpignan 19-13 at the GGL Stadium the one that sent shockwaves through the lower reaches of the table saw Vannes keep their survival hopes very much alive with a bonus-point 29-19 win – their first try-scoring bonus of the season – over an out-of-sorts Toulon at Stade de la Rabine Italy international Stephen Varney’s double was the difference-maker saw Melvyn Jaminet stretchered off the pitch following a collision with one of his own team-mates in the second half That result leaves Vannes just one point behind 13th-placed Perpignan and Stade Francais in 12th The Parisians cross the river into Hauts-de-Seine on Sunday to face 11th-placed Racing 92 at La Defense Arena in a match that could well have season-defining possibilities for both sides From as little as €1 a week with our digital introductory offer Already a subscriber? Sign in By clicking on 'Sign Up' you will be the first to know about our latest and best sporting content on this browser You have accepted push notifications for this content. If you would like to manage your push notification preferences, you can do so here. © Examiner Echo Group Limited, Linn Dubh, Assumption Road, Blackpool, Cork. Registered in Ireland: 523712. Even Ronan O’Gara can’t completely avoid getting caught up in the romance of this weekend’s visit of Munster This approaching clash at the Stade Marcel Deflandre has already been labelled the ROG derby The line of questioning in pre-match media duties is therefore obvious O’Gara is reticent to attach too much importance to sentiment “No,” says O’Gara initially to the gathered French journalists Listen | 33:35“I have enough intelligence to understand that in this environment it’s like that Given La Rochelle‘s recent form – winless since January 4th 10th in the Top 14 standings – it’s an understandable response O’Gara has enough to be worried about without waltzing down memory lane Though he is more than willing to explain to the local scribes what to expect from Munster’s Red Army “having the craic” in their port town The Cork man then turns to the waiting group of Irish hacks “It most definitely is.” He certainly knows his audience we [Munster] lost the European Cup from being too emotional in 2000 We all cried our eyes out the night before Documenting to each other what it meant to play for Munster and then the next day you’re empty if you’re to take a minute or five to reflect it’s the two teams who have given me most in rugby “There’ll be a coaching staff and supporters It is a massive opportunity for seeing how good the game of rugby can be because I can guarantee you they’ll all get on really well There’ll be some atmosphere inside the ground “I was harsh on Jack once or twice because I know how high his ceiling is,” says O’Gara who once tried to sign the Irish outhalf for La Rochelle I would like to think that’s a big compliment.” Crowley impressed during Munster’s win over Connacht last weekend That hasn’t impacted O’Gara much this week I haven’t watched and I won’t watch the Munster-Connacht game because I have enough issues here with our own game,” he adds there’s too many deficiencies in our game so we have to iron them out.” “I think he has credentials to be the senior [Ireland] attack coach,” says O’Gara. “I think people maybe underestimate Mike. I don’t see why they should. Like the Munster job or Ireland attack coach job, he’d be disappointed. “Without pushing his case too much, he’s a quality coach. The other side of it is maybe it’s the minimum he deserves to get his foot in the door by going on this [Ireland summer] trip.” It was put to O’Gara that he could one day mirror Prendergast, earning success in France before eventually returning to Munster. “I don’t think so no,” is his riposte. “We’ve a club here that’s a massive club, it’s one of the biggest in Europe. Yeah, it’s going through a sticky patch at the minute, without a doubt, but that happens in cycles, that happens in sport. “We’ve made some signings for next year, next year is too early for me to speak about, there are certainly weaknesses in our set up but we can eradicate them. People back in Ireland don’t appreciate, well maybe they do because of what we’ve achieved, but this is a huge club.” A huge club at a low ebb, as has been well documented. The narrative is that a home tie in a competition La Rochelle has won twice in recent years could bring the best out of them. O’Gara certainly sees things that way, albeit while acknowledging just how dire results have been. “The beauty of this team is that, when we get it right, as we’ve shown, the opposition doesn’t matter. That’s not arrogant, that’s not cocky but it’s a huge task in front of me to get our team right. “If I’m not excited about coaching against Munster this weekend, I should be doing something else.” Forget the era of Leinster playing champagne rugby without cracking open the bubbly when it matters most - in champions cup finals The new Leinster is more considered with the Springbok influence behind the scene emphasizing how victory can be created with a slice more certainty if your defensive traits are better than all out attacking playing at every occasion South Africa have won back-to-back World Cup through pragmatism over idealism — Leinster are now drinking more from that trough while trying to fling the ball around a bit too if they get the chance up-to-date news and views from Irish America they were the superior team in the first half not so much in terms of possession but in how they controlled the game with a Joe McCarthy try at Stade Marcel-Deflandre showing their ability to create even against the best of sides coached by former Munster and Ireland star Ronan O'Gara Sam Prendergast continued to grow into his role as the playmaker at No 10 and he converted that try as well as kicking three penalties to put his side in a strong 16-6 lead La Rochelle came on strong with a try and penalty to leave them just needing a three-pointer of any sort to squeeze past Leinster in those final agonizing minutes Luck favored the brace as the men in blue defied some dubious refereeing decisions and a concession of possession to keep the hosts scoreless as Antoine Hastoy hit the post with a penalty and then had a drop-goal blocked down Leinster top Pool 3 on 13 points with La Rochelle second with both now certain to make the round of 16 The winners now face Bath at home this weekend Head coach Leo Cullen felt this was a game riddled by errors from both sides and in the end Leinster got across the line because they wanted it that little bit more than the hosts obviously just taking our chances in the first half is probably the thing and building a bit of a lead and then weathering that initial early storm you know in terms of a bit of game management a few kicks that we missed but it was the same for both teams It was a proper good cup rugby feel about it but it has that sense of a knockout game,” he claimed Looking forward he pointed out: “We'll just try and turn our attention because it'll be Bathe and you know we talked about it in the lead-up into this game Hopefully we'll get a big crowd at the Aviva Stadium Bath are riding high they are the top of the Premiership and will be another great challenge for us,” he stressed  “They're another quality side going very well in the Premiership Seeing some of the results they've had against top teams Saracens and some of the great teams they've put big scores on.. It's another battle we need to get ready for They're a very physical team and you've got to front up physically if you want to win over here I think we were a little bit more clinical maybe I think our 'D' (defence) throughout was good and I think we did that pretty well throughout That was probably the most pleasing thing." Leinster: Try - McCarthy Con: Prendergast Pens: Prendergast (3); La Rochelle: Try - Leyds Pens: Hastoy (3) Replacements: G McCarthy (for Kelleher 73) Galway 1-17; Mayo 1-15 Galway won the battle but only time will tell if they win the war they joined the great side of 1963-66 who won four C.. Leinster 34; Northampton 37 Leo Cullen put up a great defense of his Leinster side following this shock defeat on home soil - had his charges perfo.. Pic of Day: It was a good day for sailing out of Dun Laoghaire Harbor and into the waters of Dublin Bay Developed and maintained by Soundlining The pandemic and some of the French and English power brokers have seemingly been intent on diminishing what was once a great tournament but despite off-field coups unfulfilled promises and bemusing formats the Champions Cup’s capacity for generating deliciously mouthwatering scripts remains undimmed Ulster’s reward, as such, for squeezing through the back door into the Round of 16, courtesy of Friday’s 52-24 bonus point win over Exeter, is a tie away to Bordeaux-Begles, who beat Richie Murphy’s team 40-19 in Belfast in round two last month. Listen | 39:01Connacht secured top seeding in the Challenge Cup with their 28-19 bonus point win in Cardiff on Friday night, so earning potential home ties all the way through to the final. They will now play host to Cardiff in the Round of 16, with the possibility of a quarter-final at home to Perpignan or Bath. After discussions with broadcasters and teams, the organisers, EPCR, will confirm dates and kick-off times on Wednesday. On a wild and wacky weekend of landslide wins, taut thrillers and eye-catching surprises, Diarmaid Kilgallen’s second try in the 79th minute of Munster’s 34-32 loss earned two bonus points in Northampton that left the Irish side best of the third-placed sides and so ranked ninth and consigned to an away tie. Glasgow would have been their likely destination but for La Rochelle’s surprise 32-25 loss to Benetton in Treviso, which ultimately ensured they finished as the worst of the pool runners-up, ie seeded eighth, and so O’Gara will host his former province. During his one-team career, the one-time Munster legend scored an all-time record haul of 2,625 points for his native province, playing in four Heineken Cup finals and having a key role in the 2006 and 2008 triumphs. Leinster’s 47-21 win over Bath at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday ensured they topped Pool 2. It was always likely that Bordeaux/Begles would overtake them and so they did, responding to an early 12-0 deficit at home to the Sharks with 66 unanswered points and 10 tries; Damian Penaud sauntering in for six of them. Toulon would have needed a bonus point win by an unlikely 37 points or more away to Sale in the concluding pool game on Sunday evening to move ahead of Leinster in the seedings. In the event, Sale’s 26-7 bonus point win over Toulon earned them qualification at the expense of Racing 92, so denying Stuart Lancaster a clash against Leinster, and meaning Harlequins will travel to Croke Park instead. In securing a coveted top two seeding for the third season in a row, Leinster thus earned the prospect of potential home ties all the way through to the final again. Significantly too, Leinster are now in the opposite half of the draw from the free-scoring French duo of Bordeaux Begles and Toulouse, who eviscerated Michael Cheika’s Leicester on Sunday 80-12 to set up a home Round of 16 tie against Sale. La Rochelle and Munster are also in that half of the draw. The winners of that tie will be away to Bordeaux or Ulster, with the winners of Toulon and Saracens meeting Toulouse or Sale. For their part, Leinster supporters can start plotting another hoped-for home route to the final, with the Harlequins tie followed possibly by Glasgow or Leicester in the quarter-finals and any of Northampton, Clermont, Castres or Benetton in the semi-finals. The biggest surprise of the weekend was Castres ending a 21-game losing streak away in the competition, dating back to 2012, by beating Saracens 32-24, so earning a home tie against Benetton instead of the three-time champions. “Yeah, yeah, that’s always great,” said Cullen in the aftermath of Leinster’s win over Bath and in expectation of securing that top two seeding. “Yes, as many things as you can control as possible is useful. It’s not the be-all and end-all but you need to make it count. But I’m sure our supporters are appreciative that the games will be at home, hopefully. So, we just need to worry about the next game which is Stormers, not the last 16,” he said with a hearty laugh, in reference to next Saturday’s URC game against the Cape Town-based side. Targeting a top two seeding had been understood more than stated all along, the first step from the outset of last week being to simply win the game. “It’s a step-by-step process,” said Cullen. “Play with the right attacking intent but get the balance right between being aggressive in carries but not just looking for the space too early and playing ourselves into trouble. “Maybe we did that in the first half, [we were] much better in the second half and some opportunities start to come off the back of that. Then you can start to push on. “We’d scored the fourth try and we were only five points clear at that stage. The message would have been on that if we won a penalty, kick another three points. We’re not looking to score another try and not get it. “As it happened, we scored a fifth try, sixth try, and seventh try. So that’s pleasing that the bench have the right intent to understand what needs to be done at that stage.” As they usually do, Leinster found a way, opening up their horizons and giving themselves the best chance possible once again. Bordeaux Begles v Ulster - Stade Chaban-Delmas La Rochelle v Munster, Stade Marcel-Deflandre Glasgow Warriors v Leicester Tigers - Scotstoun Stadium Northampton Saints v Clermont - Franklin’s Gardens so that's an achievement that won't be missed by us but we know we've got three more games to keep building on that." Is the Queensland boss the right man to lead Australia forward And will Joe Schmidt be tempted to stick around for Rugby World Cup 2027 ‘The Golden Rule’ has governed all sensible aspects of human behaviour from the beginning of recorded time The law of Reciprocity was alive and well two thousand years before the birth of Christ in the Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt before it ever entered the Christian mainstream via that New Testament saying from Matthew 7:12: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you ‘Do as you would be done by’ took on a whole new meaning in the round of 16 in the European Champions Cup last weekend, nowhere more than in the so-called ‘O’Gara Derby’, played out in the bright late afternoon sunshine at Stade Marcel-Deflandre. For the head coach of La Rochelle, the paradox of his profile as the greatest points scorer in Munster history [2,625 points in 240 games] and the same time the head coach of the French double Champions Cup winners made itself felt early in the weekly build-up and never reached a settlement thereafter: O’Gara’s column for The Irish Examiner was full of visceral pulls tugging in both directions at once: “All I ever wanted to do when I finished in a Munster dressing room in 2013 was coach Munster there’s a good bond between me and the players “Everything has felt slightly out of whack this week But two of them were humming and hawing all week “Over the years, If I saw a Toulouse jersey in the underage section at La Rochelle I’d be going ‘how dare you?’ in my head that’s exactly what French people will be thinking this week if they see our kids in Munster jerseys Munster outside-half Jack Crowley’s 70th minute drop-goal was a classic O’Gara meme for a modern era That was enough to put Munster out of reach on the day and the underlying ironies only got worse for Ronan O’Gara after the game: “I’m obviously gutted but I think you’ve got to compliment and congratulate Munster on how they constructed their victory [The loss] has only ratcheted up the pressure on a coach who readily admitted his club are in ’freefall’, having won only eight of their 20 matches in the Top 14 and sitting in 10th place in the league “I’ve seen [and kicked] a lot of good drop-goals but that’s a top-class one.” “For a second, I thought Jack Crowley was with me – then you’re like ‘that’s the wrong team’!” In the most secret compartment of his heart I’m glad it was Munster.’ That bittersweet feeling may be the most palatable but it has only ratcheted up the pressure on a coach who readily admitted his club are in ’freefall’ having won only eight of their 20 matches in the Top 14 and sitting in 10th place in the league It may seem faintly ridiculous to the outsider looking in but suddenly Ronan O’Gara finds himself under pressure to keep his job As Irish journalist Peter O’Reilly recently commented in The Times Yet O’Gara is more vulnerable than he has ever been during a 12-year coaching career With six rounds remaining in the Top 14 his team finds themselves in a desperate scrap to make the top six something they have achieved consistently since his arrival in 2019.” The relationship between the Top 14 and foreign coaches is a complex one more akin to a passionate affair with a mistress than a long-term marriage for life Les Bleus scored the most tries [30] while conceding the fewest [11] four of the six Top 14 clubs advanced to the quarter-final stage despite giving up 27 tries between them France manifestly defends better than any of the club teams in its domestic league it is only 12 months since the French magazine Midi Olympique suggested that France defence coach in a piece headlined ‘Shaun Edwards called into question’: “Something has undeniably changed Les Bleus have conceded more than three tries on six occasions whereas this had never happened to them in the first three years [Edwards] appeared somewhat disconnected from the rest of the staff during the last World Cup French rugby does not really want to find out just how good it could be It is satisfied with the view from its own back garden Edwards remains the best thing that has happened to the French national team in the last decade O’Gara’s La Rochelle are in decline and their performance peak is receding two or three seasons distant in the rear-view mirror but his continued presence in the Top 14 will force it travel further in its outlook and broaden its connection with the rest of the world The danger is that life in the open country becomes an irrelevance That attitude may win you a Bouclier de Brennus or two but it does not translate to World Cup victories or global dominance If O’Gara leaves, or even worse the Munsterman ‘est mis à la porte’ the real loser would be France. Ronan O’Gara is the kind of character who can bridge the gap between local culture and the demands of the rugby world beyond it, with real insight and sympathy. There was a hint of just how difficult the balancing act can become later in his The Irish Examiner column: “The massive dilemma in French rugby is where you go The French managers are always on the side of the pitch but if you’re not on the side of the pitch the French think you’re not connected to the team And your half-time team-talk can be a lot more accurate I appreciated one or two good nuggets from the coach at the break.” ROG was done to by Munster in much the same way as he would have done to them Despite having their big guns back in harness [all bar centre Jonathan Danty] Munster dominated in the areas where La Rochelle have become accustomed to being the masters and risk losing the emotional connection to the team It is the kind of problem only true lovers of the game know At the Stade Marcel-Deflandre on Saturday afternoon and ROG was done to by Munster in much the same way as he would have done to them It all started at scrum-time, where Les Bagnards reunited their all-international front row of Uini Atonio, Pierre Bourgarit and Reda Wardi, with the massive of presence of Will Skelton behind them They were still unable to prove their superiority with the starters on the field: La Rochelle wants to move the scrum from their right-to-left and win a penalty with Atonio angling in on the opposing hooker and Wardi working his way around Munster tight-head Oli Jager The ploy is scuppered when Bourgarit has to release his bind on Atonio first – implying that of the two hookers he is the one under more pressure – and Jager moves up and around Wardi Munster had already made a statement of intent by denying Les Maritimes their usual platform at the driving maul: These are the kinds of mini-battles O’Gara’s men are not used to losing When he is fully ‘on’, there are very few forwards in the world who can match the output of Munster second row Tadhg Beirne. He had a relatively quiet Six Nations for Ireland but on Saturday he harried Will Skelton to distraction: illustrate how ‘smarts’ can outpoint pure muscle in situations which seem to demand more of the latter than the former Beirne [in the blue hat] starts away from the ball on the right edge of the drive but works his way around the back to the far side His left arm closest to referee Andrea Piardi is firmly bound but the right sneakily readjusts out-of-sight to tie up Bourgarit and force the turnover scrum Beirne ‘hangs’ for long enough to attract penalty for an early challenge in the air by Skelton and that gives the men behind him a free shot at the goal-line The final ten minutes finished appropriately, with two steals on the deck reminiscent of his colossal pilfers against the All Blacks at Wellington in the decisive third Test of that nuclear 2022 series: There are not too many occasions when an Irish second row has come out of ahead of Will Skelton in recent times but on Saturday afternoon that is what happened It may yet turn out to be symbolic of the coaching fortunes of Ronan O’Gara Over the past few months, the Munster legend has been linked to every high-profile coaching vacancy in the game, from Wales and Australia internationally to Leicester and Munster at club level He has won two consecutive Champions Cups and hauled Stade Rochelais up from the depths of Pro D 2 to the point where they can rub shoulders with la crème de la crème in Europe But the absence of a Bouclier de Brennus in the trophy cabinet still counts for more If ROG fails to make the top six in 2024-25 it could be his last season in charge of the club it won’t be a problem for Ronan O’Gara to find another job but it will be a challenge for France to find another Ronan O’Gara News, stats, live rugby and more! Download the new RugbyPass app on the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android) now O’Gara is a good coach but overrated by British medias Jonno Gibes was Head Coach during La Rochelle first victorious Champions Cup campaign and O’Gara benefited from that squad Clearly with Gibbes gone he did not managed to keep the momentum more than a year despite the undeniable quality of his players Gibbes left at the end of the 2020/21 season - when La Rochelle lost to Toulouse in the Champions Cup final O’Gara was in charge for the title-winning campaigns in 2021/22 and 2022/23 You can argue that O’Gara has failed to properly build on the squad he took on when Gibbes left I would be concerned with how LAR appear to have failed to evolve both their playing squad and their game plan Kudos for the coach designing and staffing a team to win big tournaments but then criticism is fair if that plan stagnates and they start to fail Sorry but not so impressed by a very one sided article in favour of ROG La Rochelle rugby is very one dimensional and ROG has been unable up to now to bring another dimension Plus a very poor strategy ito attracting new talents or even keeping them: the team is getting older I also smile when I read English speaking commentators presenting Shaun Edwards as quite the only explanation of France performing (slight cultural bias attacking another bias…) The galvanizing of French rugby at national level only occurred with the introduction of Shaun E as defence coach The galvanizing of French club rugby beyond Toulouse largely occurred with LAR winning two Champions Cups I think it’s more accurate to say that ROG is in an interval where he needs to regather himself as a coach but that is no excuse to give him the boot It makes me smile when I hear all the stories of French ‘worldbeaters’ [often from English speaking authors] who turn down the chance to test themselves against the best… July in NZ is the latest example Je remarque tellement de références aux bêtes noirs et d’autres expressions idiomatiques Français Ça a du sens je suppose pour quelque’un qui travaillait pour un club Parisian If La Rochelle dump him dont be surprised if he ends up in a Springbok Jumper🤣 Rassie will do anything to ensure world domination if he does leave its unlikely he will stay unemployed for long He will be one of the most in demand coaches in Europe and will likely have his pick of any number of elite jobs Top 14 and URC clubs will all have taken notice of his status and will be keen to bring in one of the best minds in rugby right now He looks to me like someone who would want to be head coach - ideally of a test side but there aren’t too many of those jobs going atm He will have a pick of top jobs - but for the life of me I cannot see why LAR would want to release him after such a wonderful record there And a note to OJohn’s comment which has rightly been blocked What has Les Kiss ever won as a head coach You could write a master’s theses on conspiracy theory and victimhood just from OJ’s comments on this site The opposition and manner of LR’s CC exit was ironic to say the least but it would be a damning indictment of all concerned if ROG is shown the door at the first hurdle given the success he has delivered The signings already en route suggest he may well oversee the rebuild that’s required but he will know the extent to which he’s been the decision maker on them the loyalty Exeter have shown to Baxter should offer a better template particularly for clubs that have had to really fight their way to the top you’d struggle to think of another coach anywhere that lives the ups and downs of his team out on the pitch more than O’Gara or failing to make the top six qualifiers for Top 14 knockouts is the dealbreaker Ed They are still only 4 points adrift of 6th with six to play so theere’s a good chance they can make it ROG expressed an interest in the Wallabies role… with their improving set piece could he be a better fit than he might appear Perhaps with Kiss assisting him part time I doubt Kiss would accept that role in any case JD but AFAIK there has been no contact between ROG and RA Sounds more like that gig’s already taken… Join free and tell us what you really think The European tournament kicks off with an exciting fixture at The Rec After winning two of the last three Investec Champions Cups Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle side are not to be taken lightly not only have the French outfit lost each of their past two fixtures in the Top 14 but one of those defeats was a home drubbing by bottom-of-the-table whipping boys RC Vannes O'Gara has responded with a raft of changes most notably the return of Gregory Alldritt who looked badly undercooked during the recent international window Bath lead the Premiership after winning six of their opening seven though the victory that took them to the summit wasn't entirely convincing They toiled against winless Exeter at the weekend with Guy Pepper and Niall Annett making the difference as Finn Russell had one of those days Read on to see your Bath vs La Rochelle live stream options and how to watch 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup rugby from anywhere Or you can opt for the $150 annual subscription Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the rugby on your usual subscription It's outstanding at unblocking streaming services it's fast and it has top-level security features too With over 6,000 servers across 110+ countries Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app but want to view your usual streaming service you'd select a U.S.-based server from the list Head to your usual streaming service and watch the Bath vs La Rochelle stream online as if you were back at home Bath vs La Rochelle is being shown on Premier Sports which has the rights to Investec Champions Cup rugby this season in the U.K A subscription costs £15.99 per month but if you're willing to commit to a year you'll pay £131.88 which works out at £10.99 each month Premier Sports also holds the rights to the Challenge Cup No major broadcasters have picked up the rights to the 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup in Australia, which means fans need to subscribe to EPCR TV in order to watch Bath vs La Rochelle A subscription costs €49.99 for a season pass that will let you watch every game live along with every game of the 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup rugby season in Canada too You can pay either $29.99 per month or $150 per year Live 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup coverage in New Zealand comes courtesy of Sky Sport which is available as part of a range of pay TV packages Subscribers can also watch the rugby on mobiles using the Sky Go service you can also watch Bath vs La Rochelle online through the Sky Sport Now streaming-only platform It costs $29.99/week or $49.99/month and can be canceled anytime DisclaimerWe test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service) Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing Aatif SulleymanSocial Links NavigationAatif is a freelance journalist and copywriter based in the UK sport and politics for a wide range of publications including TechRadar an arrangement that combines two of his greatest passions: live TV and penny-pinching When he's not attending a top-flight English soccer match you can find him perfecting his table tennis skills Following a stunning 25-24 victory over La Rochelle in the Investec Champions Cup clash at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre on Saturday 15 Thaakir Abrahams: Was a big call to bring him straight back into the XV after four months out but it paid off as the fleet-footed back set up Craig Casey’s try with a brilliant break 14 Calvin Nash: Offered plenty of threat with ball in hand but he is such a good player in defence and he made several important interventions The type of display which should earn him more international game time 13 Tom Farrell: Made one good break and he was also solid defensively Farrell has enjoyed a fine season and become a real rock in that midfield 12 Seán O’Brien: Had the big job of replacing the banned Alex Nankivell and O’Brien produced a fine effort Ran hard with ball in hand and also stood up well in defence He did get an early yellow card but made up for that when he came back on 10 Jack Crowley: A drop-goal that Ronan O’Gara would be proud of, so there would be a certain irony if it costs the Munster legend his job at La Rochelle. Despite making one error, Crowley was otherwise faultless in another excellent Champions Cup display 9 Craig Casey: Classic scrum-half support line to score Munster’s first try while he kicked well throughout to keep La Rochelle at arm’s length 8 Gavin Coombes: A tireless worker in that back-row and it was his charge down and try which changed the momentum 7 John Hodnett: The breakdown master was absolutely superb in France constantly spoiling La Rochelle ball and winning turnovers 6 Peter O’Mahony: Munster’s old warhorse is still going strong and his sheer determination and bloody-mindedness rather summed up the Irish province’s performance against La Rochelle 👉 Leinster player ratings: Ireland stars respond after subpar Six Nations as ‘irrepressible’ Josh van der Flier leads the charge 5 Tadhg Beirne (c): Big players step up at key times and Beirne was utterly exceptional in the final quarter Beirne had already been damn good before then with his huge hit on Tawera Kerr-Barlow providing a much-needed momentum shift after a difficult start for his side 4 Jean Kleyn: Has returned from injury at just the right time for Munster with the big tighthead lock throwinng his weight about throughout 3 Oli Jager: The scrum did its best against a huge La Rochelle front-row while Jager also did plenty of work in the loose 2 Diarmuid Barron: Set-piece was generally solid and Barron joined the likes of Hodnett and Beirne in making life very difficult for the opposition at the contact area Loughman scrummaged well and provided a platform for his team to play from made a fine impact off the bench and they were joined in that regard by the impressive Tom Ahern Alex Kendellen did get yellow carded but the back-rower came back on to make a couple of important tackles 👀 READ MORE: Harlequins player ratings: Visitors suffer ‘humiliating’ defeat with few positives against Leinster How we rated the Munster players in defeat to the Bulls Following a 16-14 victory for Leinster against La Rochelle in the Investec Champions Cup here are our five takeaways from Sunday’s Pool 2 clash at Stade Marcel Deflandre Antoine Hastoy missed two late chances to win the game for La Rochelle as Leinster escaped to a famous victory on the back of Jacques Nienaber’s tough-as-teak defence The Dubliners edged the clash of the two unbeaten Pool 2 giants thanks to a try by Joe McCarthy and 11 points from the boot of ice-cool boy wonder Sam Prendergast La Rochelle boss Ronan O’Gara was left cursing after his side failed to capitalise on two missed kicks by Ross Byrne and Jordie Barrett with two of their own With less than a minute remaining on the clock fly-half Hastoy left a 51-metre attempt inches short before having his attempted drop goal charged down by Josh van der Flier Leinster’s lineout was all over the place but despite spending much of the game without the ball Nienaber’s rush defence paid rich dividends Four-time winners Leinster will win the pool and book home advantage for the knockout stages with a home victory over Bath next Saturday who have won only once away from home in the Top 14 must get a result at Benetton and hope the Premiership leaders spoil Leinster’s party More than what is at stake next week, this one was about bragging rights. For these are the fiercest of European rivals, two heavyweights of the continent who have met in the knockout stages of the last four tournaments Leinster might have won the most recent battle a quarter-final in Dublin last season in which they racked up 40 points But defeats to Les Jaune et Noir in the 2022 and 2023 finals still sting A team which had won its previous 11 matches looked a long way off the finished article but helped by La Rochelle losing first-choice props Uini Atonio and Reda Wardi to injury before half-time La Rochelle v Leinster: Winners and losers as Ireland stars ‘utterly relentless’ in Jacques Nienaber’s ‘suffocating’ defence The result will sting La Rochelle boss O’Gara but he came into the game knowing there were systemic issues with his team’s game ROG worked overtime to get his side’s mentality right for the challenge after an inconsistent start to the Top 14 Having made mighty hard work of beating an understrength Toulouse last week the Munsterman had delivered a string of home truths “We need to change the atmosphere,” O’Gara still the tournament’s record points scorer we need to work harder and forget the past.” Roared on by their 101st consecutive sell-out they dominated possession and territory and Hastoy twice kicked them ahead in the opening half hour But Nienaber’s pressure defence held heroically firm and on 30 minutes Leinster delivered the game’s rope-a-dope moment A rare foray into the La Rochelle half yielded a lineout Ronan Kelleher threw long to Robbie Henshaw on the crash All eyes were on Leinster fly-half Prendergast in the biggest club game of his fledgling career three weeks before he is in line to make his Six Nations debut The choice for interim Ireland head coach Simon Easterby is whether to continue with the 21-year-old prodigy who started the last two Tests of the autumn the Munster 10 who led the men in green to the title last season as his previous two Champions Cup outings proved; 20 points on his tournament debut against Bristol and the man of the match award in victory over Clermont a week later the nearest he is going to get at club level to facing England in the Aviva on February 1 And twice in the first half he had kicks charged down It could have been worse still as Jack Nowell flapped down his pass and Hastoy took it to the house rightly called the play back and disallowed the try he stayed focused and never lost sight of the bigger picture He calmly nailed both his first-half shots at goal then with La Rochelle rallying in the third quarter The quality of his performance was highlighted by what happened after he left the field Toulon v Harlequins: Five takeaways as French ‘force of nature’ shines while England stars ‘buckle’ powerful ball carriers with the number eight on their backs Doris came into the game leading the tournament in turnovers and quickly added to his haul by relieving Alldritt of the ball but Doris was at it again midway through the first half This time it was Nowell who didn’t so much have his pocket picked as get mugged by the County Mayo-born forward ripping the ball loose before passing deliciously out the back to lift the siege on his under-the-cosh team Doris was such a thorn in the side of the French team that replacement prop Georges-Henri Colombe vented his frustration by ripping off the Ireland skipper’s scrum cap shortly after half-time Both men battled to the last and although the decision went Doris’ way Every fan of the sport will look forward to the pair resuming this platinum rivalry in the upcoming Six Nations READ MORE: Rassie Erasmus weighs in on Springboks fans’ ‘hate’ for Antoine Dupont Leinster senior coach Jacques Nienaber fears the worst for Caelan Doris. Leo Cullen hasn’t been the only Leinster coach heavily criticised for Saturday’s spectacular Champions Cup elimination by Northampton, as Jacques Nienaber has also been sharply rebuked. Following a 35-22 win for Scarlets against Leinster in the United Rugby Championship (URC), here's our five takeaways from the game at Parc y Scarlets. Planet Rugby's five takeaways from Leinster's victory over Ulster in the United Rugby Championship. Munster avoided a third successive Round of 16 exit with last Saturday’s drama-filled 25-24 win in La Rochelle they fully intend to go much deeper into the competition Next Saturday’s return trek to France to face Bordeaux Bègles in the Stade Chaban-Delmas (kick-off 4.15pm local time/3.15pm Irish) will only be Munster’s second quarter-final since they last made the semi-finals in 2019 But even in the immediate aftermath of such a highly charged win over the back-to-back champions of two and three seasons ago, both the interim head coach Ian Costello and captain Tadhg Beirne made it clear that epic victory will not matter unless they win next Saturday. “We said it in the dressing-room after the game, it’s all well and good and we could have a beer and enjoy it, but we have to back it up in seven days,” said Beirne. “We don’t want just one, we want three more games. This will go down as one of the great ones, but it won’t really matter to us if we don’t put in a good performance next week.” It could be argued that Munster’s Round of 16 exit facilitated their unexpected charge to the URC title two seasons ago, as well as their surge to the top of the URC table last season before a home semi-final loss to Glasgow cost them a final in Thomond Park. Then again, they can also take confidence from plotting an unlikely away run in the knockout stages of the URC two seasons ago against Glasgow, Leinster and the Stormers as well as an improving end-of-season injury profile for the third campaign running. “We’ve been having meetings the last few weeks, and that’s what we’ve said. At this time of year, we tend to put in performances, and we have to keep building on that,” added Beirne. “It’s something we can take confidence out of, from the last few years. Hopefully, we’ll do that, but we’ll have to double that performance.” Les Girondins have established themselves as the primary French rivals to Toulouse in the last few seasons and as the best supported team in the Top 14 will no doubt generate another atmospheric occasion at the Chaban-Delmas. No less than the Munster players it will be a big ask of the Red Army to travel in anything like the same numbers just a week on from the estimated 3,000 supporters who made themselves seen and heard so vividly around La Rochelle and inside the Stade Deflandre. “Coming off the bus was goosebumps stuff, I couldn’t see any La Rochelle fans at all ... it was all Munster,” said Beirne. “They said 2,000 were coming, but it looked like four times that. It was phenomenal, a sea of red out there, and that’s what this competition means for this club. “Seeing that passion, the red in the crowd and the noise ... it just lifts you a little bit extra.” The cameras spent an inordinate amount of time on referee Andrea Piardi as he conducted reviews and brandished four yellow cards, usually with Beirne and his La Rochelle counterpart Grégory Alldritt in shot. But, in what is becoming an increasing theme between referees and captains of Irish teams, Beirne revealed Piardi countenanced little or no interreaction with him. “To be honest, the captaincy is kind of irrelevant because they won’t talk to me. I tried a few times and he just said ‘no’. I literally had no dealings with him really, other than him just making his decisions,” said Beirne with a wry grin. Listen | 35:33“For one of the high shots, he said: ‘They’re not showing it to us’, and I don’t know if that’s the stadium not showing it or what. “When a player gets hit in the head, I have to say it. Those are the biggest dealings I had with him, and he told me to stay away from him.” As to what won the tie, Beirne said: “Our defence, to be honest, we had to be physical and I thought we matched them physically. I said we needed a big 20 minutes and it was a tough 20 minutes, believe me, but we managed to stick in there. We got a wee bit lucky in terms of the first try and [Teddy Thomas] being in touch. “But we dealt with their purple patch and handled the second part of the first half very well and we were unlucky not to get a few more points. “The management from Jack and everyone out there was really good, the physicality and our defence were great.” While the intensity of the contest and the passion of the rival supporters was exceptional, the convivial mingling of the supporters afterwards was also reflected in Ronan O’Gara visiting the away dressing-room. “It was an emotional ‘Rog’,” revealed Beirne. “He came in and admitted he was gutted and frustrated by the loss, but he said with the Munster man within him, he’s lost the game and he’ll be a supporter for the rest of the tournament. “That’s what he is, he’s a Munster man and he’s a La Rochelle man first at the moment. He’s done so much for this club. I’m sure he’s gutted at the moment, but I’ve no doubt they’ll bounce back.” 31 Jan) added extra flights from Shannon to La Rochelle ahead of the highly anticipated European Rugby Champions Cup match between Munster and La Rochelle taking place in the Stade Marcel-Deflandre on Sat There’s nothing quite like the electrifying atmosphere of a stadium packed with thousands of passionate fans Don’t miss out on the match-day excitement secure your Ryanair flight from Shannon to La Rochelle today These European Rugby Champions Cup extras are available to book now at ryanair.com “Ryanair has good news for Munster Rugby fans looking to soak up the atmosphere at the highly anticipated European Rugby Champions Cup match against La Rochelle in the Stade Marcel-Deflandre on Saturday with the addition of extra Ryanair flights between Shannon and La Rochelle that Saturday (5 April) and Sunday (6 April) These are available to book now at Ryanair.com so make sure to get them before they’re gone!” today (1st August) celebrated the first flight from Prague to Paphos while on Monday (3rd August) it will launch a twice weekly service to Kosice both as part of its extended Summer 2020 schedule Ryanair has launched a seat sale with fares from 729 Kc for travel to Kosice and from 759 Kc to Paphos which must be booked by Wednesday (5th August) Sarens is supporting DEME Offshore with construction of the Îles d'Yeu and Noirmoutier offshore wind farm in western France offshore the Vendée coast in the Atlantic Ocean is 11 km from the island of Yeu and 16 km from Noirmoutier it will have a generating capacity of 496 MW onshore storage and load-out of 61 monopiles and 61 transition pieces (35 m tall and weighing up to 440 t) The company’s engineering team commissioned local groundworks specialist Charier to prepare seven pairs of dunes for storage of the monopiles Sarens has sent 45 axle lines of Kamag K24 Self-Propelled Modular Trailers (SPMTs) to the site Monopiles built in China are arriving at the quayside onboard the Boskalis Blue and Black Marvin transportation vessels for storage onshore via load-ins over link spans with the SPMTs The transition pieces have been arriving in 16 shipments on the UHL Fresh vessel from Vlissingnen in the Netherlands They are lifted onto the quayside and picked up for storage using 24-axle lines Cometto SPMTs with a transition piece handler More than 100 x 500-mm elephant feet (stools) have been created for storage of the transition pieces Sarens’ transition piece handler has to accommodate the structures’ higher than normal height to diameter ratio The engineering team has to ensure at all times that the maximum speed inclination and wind speed during these movements are substantially lower than usual The company has applied learnings from its previous work at La Rochelle port supporting the offshore Saint-Nazaire wind farm development in the same region The phenomenon of “global terrestrial stilling” may pose a significant reality check on the offshore wind industry The effects of this phenomenon can be seen in recent “wind droughts” that have impacted Europe and the UK in recent years Subscribe to Offshore's YouTube channel to stay updated on the latest technologies and trends of the offshore energy industry. New content coming soon! HANDS UP: Munster's Jack Crowley and Craig Casey are putting their hands up for Lions selection. Pic: ©INPHO/Billy Stickland The cheerleaders were too busy lapping up the floods of tries as evidence of the Champions’ Cup grandeur to listen their acclamation drowning out any response to those pining for some heart and soul to stir the blood and roll the thunder This is exclusive subscriber content. Already a subscriber? Sign in Introductory offers for new customers. Annual billed once for first year. Renews at €120. Monthly initial discount (first 4 months) billed monthly, then €10 a month. Ts&Cs apply more munster rugby articles Kilkenny players wear shorts before the Leinster semi-final meeting with Kilkenny. Pic: Paul Lundy Discover the great outdoors on Ireland's best walking trails score three tries to lead 21-6 at half-time Bath fight back to cut gap to four points in second half but French side hold on to win Louis Schreuder replaced England's Ben Spencer at scrum-half in late change to Bath team Teams play four group matches with top four from each pool going through to the last 16 Read the match report on the game here. And make sure to join us tomorrow for more Investec Champions Cup action Glasgow Warriors v Sale Sharks - 20:00 GMT 31Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'We can win these type of games'published at 22:07 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 202422:07 GMT 6 December 2024FT: Bath 20-24 La Rochelle speaking to Premier Sports: "It was about going play to play The game just throws stuff at you in conditions like this I liked how we stayed calm and didn't chase it "We didn't change our game and we had opportunities to then win the game but we didn't take those chances "We are now in a place where we can win these type of games" 22Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 22:03 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 202422:03 GMT 6 December 2024FT: Bath 20-24 La Rochelle speaking to Premier Sports: "We were licking our lips for this game We love the Champions Cup and to win away is always a massive achievement." 21Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'We were really fortunate to hold on 'published at 22:01 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 202422:01 GMT 6 December 2024FT: Bath 20-24 La Rochelle speaking to Premier Sports: "The conditions changed the game in terms of getting the ball wide in this wind "I thought both teams played the conditions well "Bath wrestled back the momentum and we were really fortunate to hold on at the end." 73Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'Bath hurt themselves'published at 21:59 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 202421:59 GMT 6 December 2024FT: Bath 20-24 La Rochelle Paul GraysonFormer England fly-half on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra That was a classic of it kind given the conditions I thought it was lost for Bath at half-time but they came back in the second half took their chances well and were in a position where they could have won the game But every time they had La Rochelle under pressure they handed the initiative back to them by making mistakes They hurt themselves and will think three or four fewer errors they could have won the match They went toe to toe with the double champions but only got 80% things right and against a monstrously powerful side like La Rochelle you'll end up on the losing side They'll be fed up but there's no disgrace in the result 94Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 21:56 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 202421:56 GMT 6 December 2024FT: Bath 20-24 La Rochelle 30Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingFull-time - Bath 20-24 La Rochellepublished at 21:52 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 202421:52 GMT 6 December 2024Nope 4238Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 80 mins80 minsBath 20-24 La Rochelle 2428Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 79 mins79 minsBath 20-24 La Rochelle 369Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 78 mins78 minsBath 20-24 La Rochelle Strong carries and into the La Rochelle 22 go Bath But Levani Botia sees a chance and is in over the ball 2475Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 77 mins77 minsBath 20-24 La Rochelle Bath get a scrum and Finn Russell goes over to give some orders 15722Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 76 mins76 minsBath 20-24 La Rochelle Niall Annett's throw isn't straight Two bad errors from the former Worcester hooker 1778Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 75 mins75 minsBath 20-24 La Rochelle A try wins it for Bath as Finn Russell drills it into the corner 12421Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 73 mins73 minsBath 20-24 La Rochelle A poor penalty to give away from Niall Annett as his push gifts another penalty to La Rochelle 1542Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 71 mins71 minsBath 20-24 La Rochelle Jack Nowell now goes dancing down the touchline Bath though win a vital penalty as another player goes off their feet at the ruck 443Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 68 mins68 minsBath 20-24 La Rochelle Superb defensive work from Jack Nowell to win a turnover He chops Will Muir and gets straight up to do some counter-rucking 4525Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 67 mins67 minsBath 20-24 La Rochelle Finn Russell sweeps around and sends a kick into space even throwing two long passes to get the ball to Brice Dulin 2521Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'Credit to Bath for fighting back'published at 21:32 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 202421:32 GMT 6 December 2024Bath 20-24 La Rochelle Chris JonesBBC rugby union correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra Despite the weather it's been a compelling game and credit to Bath for getting back into it after being 21-6 down at half-time 697Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 64 mins64 minsBath 20-24 La Rochelle Massive carry from Gregory Alldritt gets his side out of trouble The ball is then dropped and the camera pans to a very angry Ronan O'Gara More at the decision to not give a penalty 258Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 61 mins61 minsBath 20-24 La Rochelle The ball falls on Bath's side and Cameron Redpath sends a brilliant kick into the corner As the opening salvo to the new Champions Cup season it was also a thought-provoking one for ­English onlookers. Bath sit top of the ­Premiership table and were widely seen as powerful contenders in Pool 2. Here was a reminder that gigantic French Top 14 packs take a good deal of knocking over when they have a point to prove. Read moreNor did it help Bath when their captain and key tactical kicker Ben Spencer was ruled out with a tight hamstring on the eve of the game Without their pivotal scrum-half they were nowhere near their best in a one-sided first half before ­belatedly ­bursting into life in the second An opportunist try for the lock Quinn Roux did haul the hosts back to within a point late in the third quarter but a subsequent penalty from Ihaia West helped to cement victory for the champions of this tournament in 2022 and 2023 O’Gara offered a wry ­apology ­afterwards for some audible ­swearing during the game – “That was a tame night for me!” – but the result was a massive plus for his recently ­inconsistent side In the wake of a shock defeat to Vannes last ­weekend he suggested his team had been ­lacking “attitude which he described as “the ABC cornerstone of any ­successful outfit” It hardly needed reiterating that he wanted to see a marked improvement A damp night is hardly unknown in the west country but the curtains of rain sheeting across the pitch could have belonged to a dark and stormy horror movie It was certainly an evening to test the resilience of those cast away in the wide open Dyson stand with prices ranging from £89 to £59 for the ­privilege of a relentless soaking It was also swiftly apparent that Storm Darragh was not the only ­irresistible force heading Bath’s way Opting to use their strong maul as a battering ram the visitors had two rumbling tries on the board inside the first 26 minutes first from their back-row forward Oscar Jégou and then their loosehead prop Reda Wardi following a prolonged drive that had Bath’s forwards backpedalling the full length of their 22 Despite La Rochelle’s iffy ­domestic form their confidence was visibly growing as perfectly illustrated by their third try Despite a far from sympathetic delivery from the lineout their Kiwi scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow plucked the ball off his toes as if he was fielding in the gully on a warm summer’s afternoon and darted past the flat-footed cover for a brilliant individual score With West kicking all three conversions it put La Rochelle 21-6 up with barely half an hour gone the kind of advantage that good sides rarely squander Nor did it help Bath’s cause when a prime attacking position just before the interval was squandered by a botched lineout that ended with the visitors receiving a short-arm penalty for a delayed throw Free weekly newsletterThe latest rugby union news and analysis It was going to require something special to overturn the 15-point ­deficit with conditions now mostly at the visitors’ backs And seven minutes after the restart a glimmer of hope duly materialised when a concerted Bath drive yielded a burrowing try for Tom Dunn and Finn Russell curled over a lovely conversion to add to his two first-half penalties The game then took a dramatic lurch when Kerr-Barlow looking to retrieve a kick ahead from the ­excellent Guy Pepper did not clearly ground the ball in goal and Roux was judged to have touched it down first instead The evidence was not wholly conclusive either way but Russell’s conversion suddenly made it a one-point ball game nevertheless Could they somehow complete a ­stunning comeback West’s 58th-minute penalty made the task harder and it was La Rochelle’s big beasts who had the final say Round Three of the Investec Champions Cup takes place this weekend and there’s some tasty fixtures on the schedule It’s a blockbuster weekend and Leinster are pretty much at full strength for their clash with La Rochelle as Tadhg Furlong returns to fitness to start at Stade Marcel Deflandre Jordie Barrett and RG Snyman are both on the bench for Leo Cullen’s outfit while La Rochelle are missing several players due to injury and suspension for Saturday’s fixture Elsewhere, Antoine Dupont leads a star-studded Toulouse side against the Sharks Aphelele Fassi and Andre Esterhuizen for the Durban clash Check out all of the Champions Cup team news READ MORE: Siya Kolisi captains Eben Etzebeth-less Sharks as Antoine Dupont skippers star-studded Toulouse Our Team of My Life series continues with former England second-row Simon Shaw joining us to pick his Dream XV that he (mostly) shared a pitch with Toulouse have reportedly come to a decision on how they will cover for Antoine Dupont Tadhg Beirne offered his sympathy to Antoine Dupont and hit out at the online abuse We take a run through the best attempts at trickery Leinster have been bolstered by the return of five Ireland internationals ahead of their Investec Champions Cup fixture against La Rochelle at Stade Marcel Deflandre An injury update released on Tuesday by head coach Leo Cullen was largely positive as the 2022 and 2023 tournament finalists prepare to face off French soil on Sunday The Ireland quintet in question who have been declared available for this week’s clash are Jack Conan, Max Deegan, Ciaran Frawley, Hugo Keenan and Thomas Clarkson Conan is back after recovering from the injury he sustained against Connacht in December while Deegan has come through the Graduated Return to Play Protocols who came through the win over Munster with no issue and will be available again Leinster also confirmed that Ireland tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong is due to step up his rehabilitation before a final decision is made on his availability later this week Loose Pass: Comparing Tom O’Toole and Jordie Barrett’s clearouts and Champions Cup set to ‘reward mediocrity’ Despite not being available for the Champions Cup game against Ronan O’Gara’s side Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan has returned to on-field training after his ACL injury James Culhane (hamstring) and Michael Milne (groin) will be unavailable for selection this weekend after they sustained injuries over the Christmas period There were no further updates on Rob Russell with the Six Nations now just three weeks away from kick off Cullen is set to announce his matchday squad for the La Rochelle fixture on Friday as the only two unbeaten sides in Pool 2 are set to collide at Stade Marcel Deflandre It promises to be a high-octane affair but while Leinster are flying high this season having won every game La Rochelle have been largely out of sorts so far in the Top 14 could only edge a second-string Toulouse team 22-19 at home last week and before that suffered a 21-13 loss away to Perpignan READ MORE: Mack Hansen to discover fate as disciplinary hearing set after X-rated rant following Leinster loss Jordie Barrett lit up the Champions Cup at the weekend and will be crucial in helping Leinster end their quest for silverware Six Nations fans have picked their British and Irish Lions XV Our ratings for each of Ireland's players who were in action during their recent Six Nations campaign Nigel Owens explains why Hugo Keenan's try was wrongly disallowed Ronan O’Gara has followed Michael Cheika in criticising a New Zealand referee after La Rochelle’s Top 14 defeat to Toulon on Sunday The Irishman is not averse to taking aim at the officiating having received several bans over recent years and he once again had issues at the weekend O’Gara’s side had raced into a 17-0 lead in the opening quarter at the Stade Mayol but the hosts hit back to secure a 45-26 domestic triumph It left him frustrated and in his post-match press conference the 47-year-old went on to criticise the man in the middle The New Zealander was handed the game in preparation for the Six Nations where he will take charge of the opening match of the tournament between France and Wales O’Gara stated that “I don’t want us to be refereed like a small team” before being asked to elaborate on his comment An away team has the right to win the match but I’m going to be in court soon regarding the refereeing,” he told reporters “I need to talk about it and protect my team It’s not allowed in the rules so I’m very disappointed I sent a private message some time ago and I’ve already taken 12 weeks ‘I didn’t like it from the start’ – Michael Cheika slams New Zealand referee’s Premiership appointment Williams joined Ben O’Keeffe in taking charge of a domestic match in Europe with the latter officiating Gloucester’s English Premiership match with Leicester Tigers The Cherry and White secured a 38-31 triumph over the Tigers but Leicester boss Cheika but I am not sure why they are bringing in the international referees this weekend,” Cheika told TNT Sports It is clear there is a difference in interpretation in how the ball is played on the ground and we have got to be better to resist those moments when they come The first and the last matches of the opening Six Nations weekend will be refereed by Williams and O’Keeffe with the former doing France v Wales and the latter taking charge of Ireland’s clash with England That leaves Scotland’s encounter with Italy in Edinburgh which will be officiated by Englishman Karl Dickson READ MORE: Ronan O’Gara: Mack Hansen comments ‘a great thing’ as Ireland legend blames ‘faceless people’ for making ‘life hell’ for referees The match officials for the 2025 mid-year internationals have been confirmed The match officials for the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour have been announced which includes the referees handed the whistle for each of the three Tests La Rochelle head coach Ronan O’Gara has highlighted the importance of protecting young back-row Oscar Jegou after the recent dismissal of a rape case against him and Pau second-row Hugo Auradou were accused of the aggravated rape of a woman after making their Test debuts against Argentina in Mendoza in July The forward duo were arrested within days of the incident and subsequently charged They met a 39-year-old woman in a Mendoza nightclub before she accused them of a vicious sexual assault in a hotel room the players repeatedly protested their innocence and insisted they had consensual sex with the woman following a night of drinking On Tuesday, the judge in Mendoza dismissed the case against Jegou and Auradou following the advice of the prosecution who asked that the charges be dropped due to inconsistencies in the woman’s story regarding the incident O’Gara spoke about the matter for the first time on Thursday and revealed the relief felt at La Rochelle due to the case’s dismissal Our president (Vincent Merling) has really been struggling these last six months he did a lot of good things,” he told reporters “He wasn’t able to talk too much but he worked really well.” The former Ireland fly-half spoke of how the case’s outcome would affect Jegou who is one of the youngest players in La Rochelle’s squad “It’s the strongest possible ‘result’,” he said but also the fact that Oscar has been cleared (the plaintiff’s lawyer has nevertheless appealed) “It’s good for Oscar’s conscience that he can sleep soundly “Have I felt a form of liberation in Oscar since the dismissal “There has been no change in his behaviour since Tuesday That means he was confident in recent months The most important thing was to get him out of Argentina Ronan O’Gara apologises for being a Sam Prendergast ‘doubter’ and has message for Jack Crowley over ‘technical and tactical errors’ O’Gara highlighted the difficulties of dealing with such a matter and said Jegou’s well-being is high on his priority list as the player’s coach “I’m going to remain hyper vigilant with regard to him because he’s a child to learn and to be educated like the others “We have a huge responsibility: to pay attention to his mental state We are talking about young players with emotions It can happen to any member of the staff and any player I have always said that a discussion can solve half of a problem “The support is based on a strategy of the whole club Things organised off the field remain private But there was a plan so that he is really focused on rugby On the fact that everything has a consequence.” O’Gara also spoke about the trial of three former Grenoble players who are currently facing charges of gang raping a student in 2017 “I read it on my mobile (before the press conference),” he said “This has never happened in our sport We can’t underestimate the importance of education The most important thing is the young girl (the victim) and her family he came close to spending maybe 10 years in prison It’s too important for me – as an adult as a parent – to educate our players O’Gara believes a radical change in approach to the celebratory nature of the game is important moving forward A bottle of beer looks like a bottle of Coke Is a bottle of beer better than a bottle of Coke “But fifteen bottles of beer after a match that’s important for the future.” READ MORE: Champions Cup teams: Wales great set for second Saracens debut as Sharks rest Springboks stars