Ronan O’Gara loved loads of moist and wild rugby nights throughout his enjoying days with Munster and this sodden contest would have stirred some fond reminiscences. There was greater than a touch of old-school Irish canine in the way in which his La Rochelle aspect took an early ahead grip on a grimy night and constructed a sufficiently massive result in insulate them from a concerted Tub fightback.
Because the opening salvo to the brand new Champions Cup season it was additionally a thought-provoking one for English onlookers. Tub at present sit high of the Premiership desk and had been extensively seen as being highly effective contenders in Pool 2. Right here was a reminder that big French High 14 packs take a great deal of knocking over once they have a degree to show.
Nor did it assist Tub when their captain and key tactical kicker Ben Spencer was dominated out with a good hamstring on the eve of the sport. With out their pivotal scrum-half they had been nowhere close to their finest in a one-sided first half earlier than belatedly bursting into life within the second. An opportunist attempt for lock Quinn Roux did haul the hosts again to inside a degree late within the third quarter however a subsequent penalty from Ihaia West helped to cement victory for the champions of this event in 2022 and 2023.
O’Gara had been warning his aspect all week of the necessity to up their type and energy ranges. Within the wake of his group’s shock defeat to Vannes on the weekend he instructed his group had been missing ‘perspective, balls and character’ which he described as ‘the ABC cornerstone of any profitable outfit.’ It hardly wanted reiterating that he needed to see a marked enchancment, whatever the inclement circumstances.
A humid evening is hardly unknown within the west nation however the curtains of rain sheeting throughout the pitch may have belonged to a darkish and stormy horror film. It was definitely a night to check the resilience of these forged away within the extensive open Dyson stand, with costs starting from £89 to £59 for the privilege of a relentless soaking.
It was additionally swiftly obvious that Storm Darragh was not the one irresistible pressure heading Tub’s approach. Opting to make use of their robust maul as a battering ram, the guests had two rumbling tries on the board inside the primary 26 minutes, first from their back-row ahead Oscar Jegou after which their loosehead prop Reda Wardi, following a chronic drive that had Tub’s forwards backpedalling the total size of their 22.
Regardless of La Rochelle’s iffy home type their confidence was visibly rising, as completely illustrated by their third attempt.
Regardless of a far-from-sympathetic supply from the line-out, their Kiwi scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow plucked the ball off his toes as if he was fielding within the gully on a heat summer time’s afternoon and darted previous the flat-footed cowl for an excellent particular person rating.
With West kicking all three conversions it put La Rochelle 21-6 up with barely half an hour gone, the type of benefit that good sides hardly ever squander.
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Nor did it assist Tub’s trigger when a first-rate attacking place simply earlier than the interval was squandered by a botched line-out which ended with the guests receiving a short-arm penalty for a delayed throw.
It was going to require one thing particular to overturn the 15-point deficit with circumstances now largely on the guests’ backs. And 7 minutes after the restart a glimmer of hope duly materialised when a concerted Tub drive yielded a burrowing attempt for Tom Dunn and Finn Russell curled over a stunning conversion so as to add to his two first-half penalties.
The sport then took a dramatic lurch when Kerr-Barlow, trying to retrieve a kick forward from the wonderful Man Pepper, didn’t clearly floor the ball in aim and Quinn Roux was judged to have touched it down first as an alternative. The proof was not wholly conclusive both approach however Russell’s conversion all of a sudden made it a one-point ball sport however. May they in some way full a shocking comeback? West’s 58th minute penalty made the duty barely more durable however, regardless of a nervous second or two, it was La Rochelle’s massive beasts who had the ultimate say.
