Champions Cup Round of 16: Stade Rochelais v Munster Rugby
Stade Marcel Deflandre, La Rochelle
Saturday, 5.30pm (Live on Premier Sports)
The unholy alliance of the French and English clubs may have combined to seriously damage the Champions Cup, so much so that next weekend’s quarter-final line-up will only be resolved with a few days’ notice, while three-time winners Saracens have discredited themselves and the competition. But even in its 30th season the tournament can still conjure something truly special to defy the Eurosceptics.
Cue a first ever meeting between these two − aka the Ronan O’Gara derby. He’s so good they’ve even named this game after him. Which is fair enough really. Never has one man bestrode one game in the competition’s history quite like this. It’s the first time since O’Gara retired in 2013 that he has crossed swords with Munster.
“It’s the only club I’ve played for, and I have very strong memories as a player. There’s enormous respect between the fans and me,” said O’Gara this week, adding: “I left my mark there.”
That he did, scoring 2,571 points in his 240 games for Munster. As well as being a two-time Champions Cup winner, O’Gara received the ERC European Player Award in 2010, recognising his feats over the tournament’s first 15 years, and he remains, by almost 500 points more than Owen Farrell, the competition’s all-time leading points scorer with 1,365.
What’s more O’Gara has since performed something of a coaching miracle at La Rochelle in guiding the club to their first major trophies, winning the Champions Cup in 2022 and 2023. Hence Munster captain Tadhg Beirne expects O’Gara to have La Rochelle in full-on Champions Cup mode for this game.
“Absolutely, they’ve been to three finals in four years and that’s what ROG has brought to them. I’ve seen those pictures of them coming home with the Champions Cup a couple of years ago, it was pinch-yourself stuff for them and that’s what he’s brought to the club. They’ll be looking at this competition and thinking this is the one we want to win, and looking forward to it, much like ourselves.”
La Rochelle’s run of winless games may have been extended to eight by last week’s loss in Clermont but it’s worth noting that their best performance in that sequence, indeed in this slightly malfunctioning season, was in the first of those eight games, a 16-14 defeat at home to Leinster.
La Rochelle, with a 7-1 split, steamrollered the Leinster/Irish pack for much of the second-half that day in January, and this selection looks like their strongest since then too.
Jack Nowell is back on the right wing, with Teddy Thomas moving to 13, while Tawera Kerr-Barlow returns from injury for his first game since February.
Up front loose-head Reda Wardi, lock Thomas Lavault (who partners big bad Will Skelton) and the loose forward trio of Levani Botia, Oscar Jegou and Grégory Alldritt also return.
Munster, boosted by an improved performance in Glasgow and digging deep for a hard-earned 14-man win in Mayo against Connacht, are also boosted by the return of Jean Kleyn and Peter O’Mahony to the pack, with Thaakir Abrahams coming in at full-back and Andrew Smith on the wing, with Sean O’Brien shifting to midfield in the absence of the suspended Alex Nankivell.
Rarely less than forthright in his opinions as a pundit, to add some additional spice to this meeting O’Gara hasn’t held back in some of his critiques of Munster. Following their loss away to Castres, in his column in the Irish Examiner O’Gara wrote: “I looked at Munster and couldn’t see one distinguishing feature in their performance.”
The Munster attack coach Mike Prendergast has been absolved of all blame and this could week wryly laughed off his friend’s criticisms.
“I suppose that’s his own opinion about it. We don’t talk too deep about it to be honest. I suppose the tactical battle will be an interesting one, more-so than (strike) plays,” added Prendergast about the possible thrill of coming up with moves to unlock O’Gara’s team.
“It’ll be really interesting at the start of the game to see what tactics we apply, which we have a bit of a plan, and what they will do as well. Because of their threats on the ground as well you have to be smart in how you play, and it’s not all about keeping ball-in-hand and getting to the edges.”
Munster have a real chance, not least because of their DNA in this competition and by hook or by crook the Red Army will probably astonish us once more by the thousands inside a warm sunny day in the Deflandre. But the absence of Nankivell’s physicality, and the memory of La Rochelle’s performance against Leinster demonstrates why they have to be favourites.
Stade Rochelais: Dillyn Leyds; Jack Nowell, Teddy Thomas, UJ Seuteni, Hoani Bosmorin; Ihaia West, Tawera Kerr-Barlow; Reda Wardi, Pierre Bourgarit, Uini Atonio, Thomas Lavault, Will Skelton, Levani Botia, Oscar Jegou, Grégory Alldritt (capt). Replacements: Quentin Lespiaucq, Alexandre Kaddouri, Aleksandre Kuntelia, Ultan Dillane, Judicael Cancoriet, Matthias Haddad, Antoine Hastoy, Jules Favre.
Munster: Thaakir Abrahams; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Sean O’Brien, Andrew Smith; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Diarmuid Barron, Oli Jager, Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne (capt), Peter O’Mahony, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes. Replacements: Niall Scannell, Josh Wycherley, Stephen Archer, Fineen Wycherley, Tom Ahern, Conor Murray, Rory Scannell, Alex Kendellen.
Referee: Andrea Piardi (Ita).
Forecast: La Rochelle to win.
