La Rochelle gives in at home against Leinster and jeopardizes its European campaign | Flashscore.fr

La Rochelle gives in at home against Leinster and jeopardizes its European campaign

For this revenge of the last two European finals, Leinster had their revenge by coming to win on La Rochelle soil. An embarrassing defeat for the Maritimes, whose dreams of a treble are in trouble.

The poster for this first day of the Rugby Champions Cup, without a doubt. Quite simply the remake of the last two finals of the competition at Marcel-Deflandre. THE Stade Rochelais welcomed the Leinster, to try to launch both his season and his campaign towards a hypothetical treble. And that meant a coup against the Irish team.

Which meant that the locals started the match with their feet on the floor, quickly passing three points per Antoine Hastoy to take orders. But in pouring rain, developing play is difficult. Blessed bread for Leinster, which begins a series of pick’n’go which is panicking to succeed, before a great general which is worth a yellow for each team. But the Irish efforts succeeded with an attempt to Jordan Larmour, magnificently isolated on his wing (13th).

This does not disconcert the Rochelais, who board again and try to corner their adversaries in their camp. It’s time for the fight, since the locals start several sequences with the forwards, which almost lead to the attempt of Levani Botia, but the video gets involved. A great opportunity wasted, especially since the Maritimes had refused to take the points initially.

The pace of the match is choppy, with the forwards logically being legion. La Rochelle ends up gaining three more points, but is clearly not calm. Not masters of their rugby, the locals are struggling to transform the game despite a suitable victory given the conditions. At the break, Stade Rochelais is behind (6-10), and the rest promises to be complicated.

Thus, the locals return to their lawn wound up like clocks, immediately besieging the Irish line, but the defense is impeccable, and the assault brings back “only” three points.I’m tired. The match then turns into a rugby mush, a privileged exercise for Leinster, who strive to ruin the match and regain their four point lead at the hour mark.

The match then becomes tense, La Rochelle tries but is far too messy, despite several clear chances. Leinster waits for the opening, and obtains a final penalty which folds this nasty affair, imposing itself 9-16L in La Rochelle land. A disappointment, which enormously complicates the triple ambitions of Stade Rochelais, too short this evening.