Mathieu WARNIER, Media365, published on Sunday May 02, 2021 at 5:58 p.m.
The final of the Champions Cup will be Franco-French after the victory of La Rochelle on its lawn against Leinster (32-23). The Rochelais will challenge Toulouse on May 22 at Twickenham.
Six years later, the Champions Cup trophy will return to France. The day after Toulouse’s success against Bordeaux-Bègles, European rugby experienced an earthquake this Sunday at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre. Quadruple European champion and obvious candidate for a fifth star, Leinster was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of a team from La Rochelle which did not make the slightest complex. But the challenge of a Champions Cup semi-final, combined with the demonstration of their supporters on arrival at the stadium, undoubtedly inhibited the players of Jono Gibbes and Ronan O’Gara. If Ross Byrne missed the opener from the 4th minute, La Rochelle found himself fourteen four minutes later, Wian Liebenberg paying the accumulation of faults of his teammates at the start of the match. The Leinster, ruthless in this kind of situation, did not wait more than a minute to take control. Following a penalty played quickly, Tadhg Furlong came to conclude a long streak of forwards to flatten the first try of this semi-final. But the Rochelais did not let themselves be defeated and took advantage of an Irish team in difficulty with questions of discipline to close the gap.
The Leinster gave too many gifts
Fifteen minutes into the game, Ihaia West unlocked the Maritimes counter before showing opportunism four minutes later with a drop from 30 meters, which ended ten minutes outnumbered far from being catastrophic. In the wake and in six minutes, Ross Byrne did not miss the target on two penalties to give a try transformed in advance to Leinster … which the striker from La Rochelle almost erased in the space of four minutes at the following two ground faults of the Irish. This point of delay, Ihaia West transformed it into a two-point lead seven minutes after the restart, relaunching his duel with Ross Byrne, who did not miss the opportunity in the 53rd minute. However, three minutes after this penalty, James Lowe found his bench for ten minutes after losing his support in a ruck. Ten minutes in numerical superiority that the Rochelais exploited well. After the penalty signed Ihaia West following this fault and then a failure by the New Zealand striker, Grégory Alldritt concretized the highlight of his team. After seeing a first attempt refused by the referee, unable to have proof that the ball was flattened, the international third-line started again.
La Rochelle managed the end of the match
Grégory Alldritt managed to force Leinster’s defensive lock fifteen minutes from the end of the meeting. If the Leinster players tried to get back into the game, the Charente defense was imperial and, six minutes from the siren, Will Skelton made his team put a foot in Twickenham. After a ball carried smoothly, the Australian second-line came to support to flatten the break test but deconcentration was not allowed. Two minutes before the siren, taking advantage of his burst of speed, Ross Byrne played Jules Plisson to revive Leinster, who however had to score twice to snatch qualification. Despite the pressure, the Rochelais did better than hold on and did wonders in the scratching on the last action, recovering a penalty just after the end of regulation time. Without further ado, Ihaia West sent the ball into touch and released his team. At the end of a more than successful performance, La Rochelle brings down Leinster (32-23) and therefore joins Toulouse for a Franco-French final on English soil and comes to materialize the beautiful European season of Top 14 clubs, with Montpellier who will play in the Challenge Cup final.
CHAMPIONS CUP / DEMI-FINALS
Saturday May 1, 2021
Toulouse – Bordeaux-Bègles: 21-9
Sunday, May 2, 2021
La Rochelle – Leinster : 32-23
FINALE
Saturday 22 May 2021, in Twickenham (Great Britain)
17h45: La Rochelle – Toulouse
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