Whether they are Blue or Red and Black, the French have not been successful in Ireland with two heavy defeats in the Six Nations Tournament (32-19 against Ireland) and in the semi-finals of the "great" European Cup (41-22 against Leinster).
The Yellow and Black, finalists for the third time, will have a lot to do to beat the teammates of Tadhg Furlong, Cian Healy, Robbie Henshaw, Josh van der Flier, Jamison Gibson-Park, Garry Ringrose, Hugo Keenan or James Lowe... all already winners of the 2023 Grand Slam.
Especially since the franchise, and its armada of Irish internationals but deprived of the iconic Jonathan Sexton, has bet everything on the Champions Cup where they have averaged 44 points per game this season. The proof? In the semi-finals of the United Rugby Championship, coach Leo Cullen chose to rest his executives to focus on the quest for a fifth star and join Stade Toulousain in the rankings.
"After the final of Marseille against La Rochelle (last year, 24-21, editor's note), it was horrible in the locker room, our worst moment: we could feel the silence and the suffering," admitted recently the third line Caelan Doris.
On the road to the World Cup (8 September-28 October), where the French and Irish are scarecrows, this new clash between La Rochelle and Leinster will have the air of revenge as much as a dress rehearsal.
The Maritimes, the third club to reach three Champions Cup finals in a row after Toulouse and Toulon, can make history by becoming the first club to retain its crown since England's Saracens (2016, 2017), the first French since RCT, crowned three times between 2013 and 2015.
Irish rugby player Josh van der Flier poses with his trophy after winning the Men's Rugby Player of the Year award during the 2022 World Rugby Awards ceremony, in Monaco, November 20, 2022 © CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU / AFP/Archives
O'Gara has a green thumb in Europe
But, this time, Leinster is warned. The caravel club has the weapons to rock the Irish frigate: from Grégory Alldritt to Brice Dulin, through Uini Atonio via Jonathan Danty or Levani Botia, La Rochelle "is a war machine very difficult to maneuver," recalls the manager of the Stade Français Gonzalo Quesada to AFP.
The same goes for Gaël Fickou: "La Rochelle has the gift of outsmarting its opponents. It may not be the team that plays the best but it is the most realistic, with a big pack of forwards, a very big scrum, a very big conquest, a lot of scratchers and a very good defense.
Champions Cup 2022-2023 © Vincent LEFAI / AFP
If the Top 14, where La Rochelle is currently second, seems to have confidence in its representatives, in Ireland, "they probably do not have the respect they deserve," according to Bernard Jackman.
"They won at the last minute last year and people here may not be watching the Top 14 enough. But if you saw the half against Exeter, the performance in La Rochelle was really impressive," the former Leinster international hooker, who coached at Grenoble for six years, told AFP.
Stade Rochelais Irish coach Ronan O'Gara before the Top 14 match against Montpellier Hérault Rugby, in Montpellier, May 13, 2023 © Pascal GUYOT / AFP/Archives
"They are two similar teams but Ireland and Leinster have traditionally struggled against strong teams. Ireland beat South Africa in November, France in the tournament and it will be up to Leinster to continue like this. Ireland managed to find a solution with a lot of aerial balloons but will Leinster be able to do it?" he asked.
The Irishman Ronan O'Gara, crowned as a player of Munster (2006, 2008) then as coach of La Rochelle (2022), will undoubtedly want to play a trick hanging on his former rivals while offering himself a double.
© 2023 AFP