La Rochelle v Leicester Tigers: Five takeaways as Champions Cup holders back to their brutal best

Following La Rochelle’s 45-12 victory over Leicester Tigers, here are our five takeaways from the Champions Cup encounter at the Stade Marcel Deflandre.

Holders finally off the mark

The three-peat campaign was always going to be a big ask for Ronan O’Gara and company, and it became even more challenging when the French outfit was more drawn into the pool of death for 2023/24.

Still, few will have predicted that the well-drilled, powerhouse entertainers would enter the third round of the Champions Cup winless.

But no championship side lacks resilience, and La Rochelle are no different as they finally got off the mark with a victory over a stubborn Leicester Tigers outfit to keep their hopes of defending their title alive with their biggest-ever win in the tournament.

They came out firing in the opening stanza and were not only emotively driven but tactically excellent. George Martin is quickly becoming a master of disrupting even the best maul, and knowing this, La Rochelle negated his impact with Pierre Bourgarit timing his departure perfectly. They negated the threat again using the mammoth battering ram of Will Skelton, launched into the path of a helpless Jamie Shillcock, who stood no chance in stopping him.

😤 You are not stopping Will Skelton from there!#InvestecChampionsCup #LARvLEI pic.twitter.com/WwwbSQuBX4

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) January 14, 2024

There was a real attitude about La Rochelle in this clash, and their third try of the game summed it up perfectly as they relentlessly went in search of a reply to Martin’s score, hellbent on having the final word of the half. And like every championship side, they did it with their own trademark swagger.

O’Gara’s trademark KBA (keep the ball alive) was on full display as wave after wave of La Rochelle’s attack hammered into, wiggled around and powered through the Tigers’ defence. It included a wonderful break from tighthead Uini Atonio, with Skelton and Jonathan Danty taking multiple defenders on their backs before going to ground. A few offloads went to ground before finding their receivers, but none ever seemed to be within reach of the defence before it was expertly finished off by the sensational centre UJ Seuteni.

That theme continued in the second half as La Rochelle continued to get the job done with an excellent kicking, dominant pack and lethal edge – even scoring with just 13 men on the pitch.

Scoreline does not flatter Tigers

Playing at the Stade Marcel Deflandre is not an easy task, and that proved to be the case for Dan McKellar’s charges, who, despite the overwhelming scoreline, rose to the challenge.

There is no real secret to La Rochelle’s game plan, they kick accurately and long, they compete in every facet of the game from scrums to breakdowns to lineout and everything in between, and they hit hard on both sides of the ball.

In fact, comparisons can be drawn between the two sides and McKellar’s Brumbies teams in the past, and for much of the game, Leicester fronted up.

Praise must go to second-rowers Martin and Ollie Chessum, who look nailed-on for England call-ups and rightly so, as well as Kyle Hatherell, Julian Montoya and others, particularly in the pack.

La Rochelle are perhaps just a bit further in their development and have a more cohesive squad that have been together under the same systems for a longer period of time.

La Rochelle at their brutal best

While the full-time score did not flatter Leicester, the hosts were still fully deserving of their comprehensive win.

Leicester were wasteful with their opportunities on attack; La Rochelle was not and ruthlessly made the most of the chances they created.

Even when the Tigers’ defence was holding firm and applying pressure on the Top 14 outfit, La Rochelle was able to produce something special to punch and get in behind the Premiership side’s defence.

French hopefuls produce statement performances

Fabien Galthie will be putting the finishing touches on his squad for the upcoming Six Nations and will have taken note of a few standout performers from La Rochelle today.

Peato Mauvaka has been in ludicrously brilliant form since the World Cup, and with Julien Marchand back to full fitness, Bourgarit looked set to drop back down to third place in the pecking order for Les Blues.

However, he would not drop down without a fight as he produced another combative display against the Tigers. He timed his lunge for the line perfectly to give his side the lead in the sixth minute and was an absolute menace at the breakdown and powerful with the ball in hand. Galthie is undoubtedly blessed with options in the number two jumper. Still, one cannot help but feel for Bourgarit, who looks set to miss out on the chance to further his climb up the pecking order after sustaining a nasty-looking injury shortly after half-time.

While Bourgarit took his chance well, it came through a truly outstanding penalty kick to touch from La Rochelle’s outstanding fly-half Antoine Hastoy. He is set to start the Six Nations behind Matthieu Jalibert, but on form, he could force Galthie to rethink the make-up of his bench or earn a start in one of the five matches.

There were the usual standout performances from the likes of Danty – before his yellow card, his third card this season – and Gregory Alldritt, who are usually nailed-on starters for the national side, while Atonio showed why Galthie pleaded with him to reconsider his retirement decision.

Outside of the regulars, Reda Wardi made a solid claim for further involvement while the tireless Paul Boudehent continued to press for minutes in a congested back-row.

Tough challenges await

Both sides have imposing tasks in their final Champions Cup pool stage matches next weekend as they look to seal their places in the knockouts.

La Rochelle head to Manchester, where they will take on a wounded Sale Sharks outfit who fell to the Stormers in Cape Town. Alex Sanderson’s side will be out to prove a point after an under-par showing on their travels and will also be desperate to feature in the play-offs. The match will be a straight shootout between the two sides, with only the winner progressing.

As for Leicester Tigers, they are at home against a rampant Leinster outfit who hammered Stade Francais 43-7 last night. McKellar’s charges could be up against a full stocked Leinster side despite Leo Cullen’s side having secured their place in the play-offs already, as the Irish stars aim to remain fresh for the Six Nations.

READ MORE: Will Skelton and La Rochelle thrash Leicester Tigers in statement victory