La Rochelle challenges the Irish province of Leinster in the Champions Cup final this Saturday (5:45 p.m.) in Marseille.
To win the title, Ihaia West will have to respond to the poles, which was not the case last season during the two finals lost by the Maritimes against Stade Toulousain in the European Cup and in the Top 14.
The New Zealand striker, a very good animator in the game, will have to manage the pressure on his shoulders and his right foot.
Like a repeating nightmare.
This is what the thousands of La Rochelle supporters must have said to themselves when they saw their striker Ihaia West string together a series of foot failures two weeks ago in the semi-finals of the Champions Cup against Racing 92 (20-13).
Many have surely thought back to the two finals lost last season due in particular to the lack of efficiency of their New Zealand opener against the poles.
Fortunately in Lens, the (new) poor performance of the latter (1 out of 4) had no direct consequences on the final result and the qualification of the Maritimes for their second European Cup final in a row against Leinster this Saturday (5:45 p.m.) in Marseille.
But of course, this victory did not completely make us forget the failures of the Yellow and Black striker.
Besides, no one expected it.
Ihaia West is quite simply the top scorer in the Champions Cup this season with 67 points scored (two tries, nine conversions and thirteen penalties) and his success rate has gone up as the season progressed.
But once again under pressure, the Kiwi did not provide.
So can Stade Rochelais win its first major title without a top scorer at its head?
The same scenario repeats itself
To listen to our two specialists Christophe Lamaison and Yann Delaigue, the answer is clearly no!
“If you want to claim a title, your spine must be very good [2-8-9-10-15].
The goalscorer must be present otherwise he can quickly put your team in difficulty.
In the big teams, it is often 90% successful, ”recalls the 1997 European champion with Brive.
His friend Toulouse, crowned him in 2003 with the Stadium insists: “On D-Day, it is very important that your scorer is good and approaches 100%.
Above all, you have to be ultra-efficient in this kind of match.
This is the first truth.
“And it is obviously not the two finals lost by the Rochelais in 2021 that will say the opposite.
The first episode takes place at Twickenham in the Champions Cup.
Reduced very quickly to 14, the Maritimes made a heroic match against Stade Toulousain but their striker let them go at the worst of times with a 4/7 and eight missed points on foot (a conversion and two penalties) for a defeat, 22-17 .
A few weeks later, all these beautiful people meet at the Stade de France for the epilogue of the Top 14… and wham, the same scenario is repeated.
In a closed final, Ihaia West achieve a small 1/3 with in the end a new victory for the Red and Black (18-8).
Even if he is of course not the only one responsible for these defeats and "that today, it is very easy to come across a player because our sport has been individualized with statistics and media coverage" underlines the former Brive player, these failures call out.
What could be the explanations?
The pressure but not only.
“It's true that it's a bit complicated for him, admits Titou Lamaison.
I have the impression that his staff expects him especially in the animation, in the conduct of the game and it is rather solid on that.
But afterwards, he is not the best scorer in the world.
“And unfortunately, in this exercise, the New Zealander lacks competition at Stade Rochelais and no one pushes him to his limits.
For Yann Delaigue, it also depends “on the period in which you are, on the confidence of the moment.
“The former opening half of Toulouse, Castres and Toulon remembers for example the 2003 final: “I was really in a good period and I scored important goals including one at the end of the match.
»
The first goal, a crucial moment to come?
But beware, this does not mean that the dice have already been cast for this final.
There is indeed according to Yann Delaigue, “the second truth and it is precisely that there is no truth.
That is to say, today, neither you nor I can say whether West will be good or not on Saturday.
"He is able to completely defy the odds," says Lamaison.
The two men still underline an important moment to come for Ihaia West in this final against the Irish: the first goal.
"It's true that he may be important but I would say that it's for the scorers and regardless of the context and then, it will depend on where he is on the ground", explains Yann Delaigue.
To succeed, "he must enter the field with maximum confidence", according to the Brive European champion.
The winning penalty for @staderochelais signed Ihaia West 🙌#UBBSR pic.twitter.com/sV2EA6boxn
– Canal Rugby Club (@CanalRugbyClub) April 2, 2022
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Not easy for the Kiwi who will also have to face a master in the field with Jonathan Sexton.
A player "who has winning in his blood, a lot of experience and who will of course be there", recalls the former Toulouse striker.
But Ihaia West has already done it.
Despite the defeat in the final of the Challenge Cup in 2019 against Clermont, he had achieved a 100%.
This season, he also gave his team victory over the gong in Bordeaux thanks to a penalty.
And then, let him not hesitate to remember another great moment in his career, the semi-final of the Champions Cup last season (22 points) against… Leinster!
Racing 92 - La Rochelle: Relive Stade Rochelais' qualification for the Champions Cup final (13-20)...
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Top 14: "We couldn't do worse", the Rochelais at the bottom of the bucket after this new defeat in the final
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