Murray Kinsella Reports from Stade Marcel Deflandre

Stade Rochelais 9

Leinster 16

THE BITTERNESS OF this rivalry was evident in every wince-inducing moment of contact. This was physically brutal from start to finish, relentlessly physical for the players on the pitch at Stade Marcel Deflandre, but brilliantly watchable for the rest of us.

Rugby is a beautiful game for more than free-flowing attacking rugby and this was a chaotic, messy contest in relentless sheets of rain in La Rochelle that was never anything less than totally absorbing.

It ended in unfamiliar fashion, with Leinster as the victors for the first time. This isn’t full revenge for La Rochelle’s back-to-back final wins in the last two years, as well as their semi-final success back in 2021, but it will sure feel sweet for James Ryan, Garry Ringrose, and co.

Leinster’s success ends La Rochelle’s 16-game winning streak in this competition and leaves the Irish province in prime position to go on and claim top spot in Pool 4 of the Champions Cup, which would ensure home knock-out games.

This battling victory is also a crucial mental step for the province as they broke La Rochelle’s run of success against them. It wasn’t actual knock-out rugby but it felt like it, with every single breakdown and set-piece ferociously fought for.

There were first-half yellow cards for La Rochelle’s Jonathan Danty and Leinster’s Joe McCarthy after a lengthy scuffle between the teams, the obvious niggle spilling over in those moments.

La Rochelle's Will Skelton carries. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

The physicality was at Test level on a night when flanker Will Connors fully justified his selection with a brilliant 49-minute defensive performance, constantly chop-tackling the big La Rochelle ball-carriers.

Blindside flanker Ryan Baird and lock McCarthy were also prominent in a big effort up front and while the Leinster scrum suffered on a few occasions, their lineout was brilliant.

Hugo Keenan was outstanding yet again with a remarkably calm performance at fullback in the horrible conditions, while both of Leinster’s out-halves impressed. Harry Byrne was very good for 39 minutes before going off injured, but Ciarán Frawley slotted in seamlessly and sealed Leinster’s win with a brilliant 60-metre penalty with the last kick of the game.

Jordan Larmour finished the only try of the game, a slick effort from close range, while Leo Cullen and Jacques Nienaber will have been very pleased with the impact of Josh van der Flier and Charlie Ngatai off their bench. 

It was a bad game to be refereeing, with both sides constantly pushing the limits of the law on a tough night for Matthew Carley, but there can’t be any major doubts over Leinster being the deserved winners. They took their try-scoring chance well, slotted points when they could, and defended stoutly. 

Missing some key players such as Tadhg Furlong, James Lowe, and Jack Conan, this was a real statement of intent to launch their bid for Champions Cup glory. 

It was a brutal contest in La Rochelle. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

Cullen’s men led after a brutal, niggly battle of an opening half in the relentless rain and they were good value for that advantage.

It was the home side who drew first blood when out-half Antoine Hastoy slotted three points off the tee after Leinster’s McCarthy was caught offside, but the visitors answered with a try 10 minutes later.

A scrum penalty win for Andrew Porter 10 metres in from the touchline and just outside the La Rochelle 22 saw Leinster go into the left corner rather than attempting a shot at goal, with their decision paying off. 

Their first effort from the left corner saw Thomas Lavault pinged for being offside, with another cynical penalty following just before a huge bout of handbags kicked off, concluding with Danty and McCarthy being sin-binned. The former ripped Dan Sheehan to ground amid the melee, then McCarthy drove into Danty on the ground.

That pair head for the bin and Leinster scored on the resumption as they tapped the five-metre penalty, got another pen advantage, then finished slickly. Henshaw dropped off a slick pass to Byrne out the back, the Leinster 10 calmly passed short to left wing Jimmy O’Brien, who swung the ball wide right for the unmarked Larmour to dot down.

Byrne converted impressively from a tough spot and Leinster had a 7-3 lead.

Joe McCarthy and Jonathan Danty were binned after a scuffle. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

The chaotic tempo continued from there, with both sides understandably leaning on their kicking games in the tough conditions. Hugo Keenan and his counterpart Brice Dulin repeatedly defused bombs, while Connors chopped everything that moved on the ground.

La Rochelle had a possible try ruled out by TMO review in the 25th minute, having opted against slotting an easy three points in front of the posts. They went to the corner and with both teams restored to 15 players, flanker Levani Botia failed to release after McCarthy’s tackle as he surged for the line to dot down. It was correctly chalked off.

Leinster applied pressure down the other end after a classy Byrne banana kick that was very nearly a 50:22 but Danty lifted it with a huge breakdown turnover penalty in his own half.

Byrne then had a poor kick as he drove the ball dead for a scrum back on Leinster’s 10-metre line, which they turned into a penalty when Cian Healy – on as a blood replacement for Andrew Porter – was done for driving on the angle. This time, Hastoy took his three.

But Leinster had one last chance off the tee themselves when big Will Skelton played scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park at the back of a ruck. Byrne had to limp off here, but Frawley came straight off the bench to nail a 35-metre penalty from just to the left of the uprights.

Harry Byrne lands heavily after competing for a high ball. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO

The game picked up where it had left off after the break but this time, it was La Rochelle piling the pressure on, with Dulin’s incisive counter-attack drawing a penalty from Dan Sheehan for a deliberate knock-on that they sent down the left into the 22.

Ryan Baird reacted sharply to drive Reda Wardi into touch on a trick lineout play initially but La Rochelle were back knocking on the door after excellent carries from back row Yoan Tanga and Tawera Kerr-Barlow up to Leinster’s five-metre line, where the visitors failed to roll away.

La Rochelle opted for the scrum this time, turned that into another penalty, then Kerr-Barlow quick-tapped. Caelan Doris managed to stop him and then Botia was held up by an excellent tackle from Leinster co-captain James Ryan, aided by McCarthy and Henshaw.

However, the scrum was now a weapon for the French side and another penalty in that area saw Hastoy kick them within a point in the 52nd minute. Leinster were soon down the other end but dropped balls from Josh van der Flier – just on for Connors – and Frawley allowed La Rochelle to clear from their 22.

Leinster sent Charlie Ngatai on in midfield, with Garry Ringrose moving to the wing, and it was a powerful carry from the Kiwi centre that helped to earn Leinster their next three points, La Rochelle failing to roll away from the tackle and Frawley popping over the penalty for 13-9.

Leinster were immediately back under pressure as Botia won a questionable jackal turnover penalty off the restart and again, La Rochelle opted against a shot at goal. They went into the right corner but couldn’t connect on their five-metre lineout, seemingly helped by Ryan playing an arm in the air. And then Baird made a superb lineout steal at the next set-piece.

On their next penalty win, around 43 metres out and in front of the posts, La Rochelle went for the points but Hastoy made a poor connection and missed. 

Hugo Keenan tries to break for Leinster. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

The La Rochelle out-half was soon blocked down by Porter amid a long exchange of kicks and wing Dillin Lleyds had to be alert to sprint back and ground the ball in his in-goal area with 10 minutes to go.

Frawley was wide with a long-range drop-goal effort from the ensuing goal line drop out, then Gibson-Park soon made an error by kicking out on the full after Leinster brought the ball back into their own 22.

La Rochelle attacked again, Leinster were offside, and La Rochelle had a penalty bang in the middle of the pitch. With six minutes left, they refused the shot at goal and went back to touch on the right.

Yet again, they came up short with a knock-on from replacement prop Georges-Henri Colombe Reazel only a few metres out from Leinster’s tryline.

Leinster still had to produce one more massive defensive grandstand to seal it, with van der Flier delivering a turnover penalty that Frawley hammered over from 60 metres. Rarely will a pool win have tasted so sweet for Leinster.

Stade Rochelais scorers:

Penalties: Antoine Hastoy [3 from 4]

Leinster scorers:

Tries: Jordan Larmour

Conversions: Harry Byrne [1 from 1]

Penalties: Ciarán Frawley [2 from 2]

STADE ROCHELAIS: Brice Dulin; Dillyn Leyds, Ulupano Seuteni, Jonathan Danty , Jules Favre; Antoine Hastoy (Hugo Reus ’74), Tawera Kerr-Barlow; Reda Wardi (Joel Sclavi ’64), Pierre Bourgarit (captain) (Sacha Idoumi ‘), Uini Atonio (Georges-Henri Colombe Reazel ’64); Thomas Lavault (Ultan Dillane ’68), Will Skelton; Paul Boudehent, Levani Botia, Yoan Tanga (Judicaël Cancoriet ’67).

Replacements not used: Sacha Idoumi, Rémi Picquette, Teddy Iribaren.

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