European Cup Semi-Final: Away to La Rochelle, Sunday 2nd of May 3pm

[enby]

La Rochelle should rightly insist on home advantage and move it to Thomond

[Oldschool]

La Rochelle should rightly insist on home advantage and move it to Thomond

No real advantage to LAR though, considering we're used to winning there.

[wixfjord]

LAR beat Lyon 38-23, but Kerr Barlow and West both off injured.

https://twitter.com/IlltudDafydd/status ... 2083721220

[blockhead]

La Rochelle should rightly insist on home advantage and move it to Thomond

No real advantage to LAR though, considering we're used to winning there.

We love TP.

[wixfjord]

LAR match against Brive likely to not go ahead due to covid cases in Brive -

https://twitter.com/RugbyramaFR/status/ ... 9710190599

[joooooe]

Injury to outhalf West a concern for O’Gara and La Rochelle - Reserve outhalf Plisson already out of action with a hamstring injury as big Leinster clash looms:

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/ ... -1.4541839

O'Gara the only fit outhalf at the club now.

[lotmc]

There must be a concern that the Semi Finals may be impacted by the high level of Covid being recorded in France. Latest data shows that new Covid cases per capita in France are currently running at 7 times higher than Ireland (daily average last 7 days 500 new cases per million in France; 74 per million in Ireland). Last week, 4 of the 7 scheduled Top 14 games were cancelled due to Covid cases in various Top 14 teams. The linked article above states that La Rogelle's game against Brive this Saturday is set to be cancelled. Sobering stuff, and much bigger issues than rugby matches, but fingers crossed the games can be played safely for all concerned.

[mildlyinterested]

Matthew Carley has been appointed to the La Rochelle vs. Leinster semi-final in the Heineken Champions Cup.

Karl Dickson and Jack Makepeace are the assistant referees, with Ian Tempest acting as TMO.

[alanair]

Matthew Carley has been appointed to the La Rochelle vs. Leinster semi-final in the Heineken Champions Cup.

Karl Dickson and Jack Makepeace are the assistant referees, with Ian Tempest acting as TMO.

Not bad... but prob the weakest of the 3 RFU refs.. tends to be a bit ‘folksy’ at times... likes to laugh at his own jokes... but nonetheless a big step up from French officials . I’m sure Leinster ‘brains trust’ will be doing analysis and feeding it to the players.

[Ruckedtobits]

Still lots of speculation and alterations surround La Rochelle this week. The game against CA Brive will be reset for 11th May because of further Covid-19 outbreaks. The rumoured move of Jono Gibbes to Clermont is reiterated by the owner of Montpelier, who is waiting to sign the Clermont Head Coach Frank Azema as soon as he is released from his current role. Finally, La Rochelle played Joules La Bail, off the bench, returning from a long-term injury at outhalf, to guide the Club to victory over Lyons last weekend from out-half.

This cluster of news is fairly typical of Top 14 rugby at the end of the season as the "barrage" approaches. LAR could have overtaken Toulouse last weekend but missed out on the offensive bonus point, but the Club and its supporters are focused on the dual objectives of a Top 14 / European double, but there is no doubt that "le Bouclier" (Top 14) is the more attractive target as far as supporters are concerned.

The team has been playing well and with only one home defeat this year (against Toulouse), there is a lot of well justified confidence among the Squad and supporters. The success has been driven by the various recruits that O'Gara brought in over the summer. The giant Australian Skelton and the two South African wingers have been important but French full-back Brice Dulin has been the key player throughout this Season. O'Gara has restored his confidence and Dulin has repaid his debt in spades.

La Rochelle has a giant front five and a very strong back-row with two very intelligent French flankers Gourdan and Aldritt alongside World Cup winner Victor Vito. Their line-out maul has been almost undisturbed this season and their scrum outweighs almost every opponent by a big margin and they usually make it count. To beat them, playing high-tempo, accurate, rugby for 80 minutes is essential. Not an easy task but possible.

La Rochelle lack one key talent at this level, experience. Whilst there are players in their Squad who have played and won at the highest levels, as a group they are in unchartered territory and they may well be uncertain of which target they desire most.

Its getting close and the anticipation grows. The weekend encounter against Munster is just a speed bump and warm-up for some along the way. But hard to visualise what another semi-final, but without supporters, will mean to our Squad.

[wixfjord]

I think another element they lack is a 10 who can control things.

West is a good player (and may even be injured) but he has nowhere near the track record of Sexton/Ross B and I think it's a weak point for them.

Certainly if both West and Plisson are out that's a big advantage forus.

[JB1973]

No side wins anything unless they have a top class 8 9 and 10

Leinster clearly had the edge over Exeter in that area and it showed especially in the later stages of that game

La Rochelle have a top quality 8 and a very good 9, even if they are down to a reserve 10 they are still going to better in this area of the game than Exeter were and the others around him can help him out

Granted Sexton is a level above any 10 la Rochelle have both in experience and in quality but will he be fit?

[wixfjord]

Sounds like West will be fit in any case - https://www.sudouest.fr/sport/rugby/sta ... 1619015543

[Theleinsterlad]

Took a look at the La Rochelle fans forum to see what they are saying on us and the game.

They are calling the match v Leinster their Everest and are very respectful of the quality and experience we have. They think it really shows how far they have come to be taking on the best of Europe.

On Johnny Sexton they are shocked and horrified that he has not been benched due to the repeated concussions he has got and think management in Leinster should be taking his long term health into account for the rest of the season (in fairness I don’t think they are saying it so he won’t play against them they seem genuinely concerned).

Finally one of them found an article written by the irish times last weekend about them and were mightily impressed on its content and “passion” about their club, with many saying French journalists could learn a thing or two from it

All in all a really similar group of intelligent fans like us and it really is a shame we won’t get to visit their patch for the semi.

[LeinsterLeader]

Took a look at the La Rochelle fans forum to see what they are saying on us and the game.

They are calling the match v Leinster their Everest and are very respectful of the quality and experience we have. They think it really shows how far they have come to be taking on the best of Europe.

On Johnny Sexton they are shocked and horrified that he has not been benched due to the repeated concussions he has got and think management in Leinster should be taking his long term health into account for the rest of the season (in fairness I don’t think they are saying it so he won’t play against them they seem genuinely concerned).

Finally one of them found an article written by the irish times last weekend about them and were mightily impressed on its content and “passion” about their club, with many saying French journalists could learn a thing or two from it

All in all a really similar group of intelligent fans like us and it really is a shame we won’t get to visit their patch for the semi.

I was with ye up till then...... and then ye lost me

[Theleinsterlad]

Took a look at the La Rochelle fans forum to see what they are saying on us and the game.

They are calling the match v Leinster their Everest and are very respectful of the quality and experience we have. They think it really shows how far they have come to be taking on the best of Europe.

On Johnny Sexton they are shocked and horrified that he has not been benched due to the repeated concussions he has got and think management in Leinster should be taking his long term health into account for the rest of the season (in fairness I don’t think they are saying it so he won’t play against them they seem genuinely concerned).

Finally one of them found an article written by the irish times last weekend about them and were mightily impressed on its content and “passion” about their club, with many saying French journalists could learn a thing or two from it

All in all a really similar group of intelligent fans like us and it really is a shame we won’t get to visit their patch for the semi.

I was with ye up till then...... and then ye lost me

Ok swap intelligent out for interesting

[D4surfer]

Bookies have it Leinster 2/5, La Rochelle 2/1 and 25/1 for a draw. The handicap is 6 points.

[wixfjord]

We better have our fingers crossed that Luke doesn't get a niggle during the week and plays the full 80 against LAR.

I wouldn't like to see HOS thrown in against Skelton, Botia et al.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

I think there’s an argument to be made that we don’t pick a scrumhalf on the bench next week. I wouldn’t pick one tbh.

[Ruckedtobits]

I think there’s an argument to be made that we don’t pick a scrumhalf on the bench next week. I wouldn’t pick one tbh.

+1 unless, by some miracle, its JGP. At this point, I'd be loathe to waste a Squad place on either of the contenders we saw this evening.