The upcoming match between Leinster and La Rochelle is a defining moment in their Champions Cup journey, with both teams seeking a home advantage in the knockout stages.
Leinster 's relationship with La Rochelle has been underpinned by recent Champions Cup disappointment and, of course, skirmishing with their coach Ronan O'Gara! But the reality is that the four-star Irish province's relationship with the two-star French arrivistes is defined ever-so simply - by results. As it stands the clubs have met five times in the last five seasons, mainly at the business end of the Champions Cup .
La Rochelle won the 2021 semi-final 32-23 on their own turf; La Rochelle also won the 2022 and 2023 finals, 24-21 and 27-26 in Marseilles and Dublin, respectively. Following which Leinster turned the tables twice last season, posting a 16-9 pool win in France in December before coupling it with a convincing 40-13 quarter-final victory in May. The clubs go again on Sunday in la Rochelle, the third of four ties the teams play before their (grotesquely complicated) six club pool offers up four Round of 16 qualifiers. But while the coming clash is, on paper, a pool game it would be mistaken to underestimate its importance as the result will define the knockout status of both clubs. The winner will most likely get a home-advantage run to the final in Cardiff on May 24 while the loser will most likely find themselves on the road by the quarter-final. Moreover it is a fixture complicated by the games to come in the pool with the French side facing a trip to URC downtable Italians Benetton; the Irish province, by contrast, have an extremely tricky six-day turnaround tie against English league leaders Bath at the Aviva. Leinster, agrees Garry Ringrose, are entitled to feel this could be a season-defining two weekends and admits they have been preparing, head down, accordingl
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