When the full-time whistle sounded at Stade Marcel-Deflandre, La Rochelle fans groaned as many of their rugby heroes fell to the ground.
La Rochelle have gone for an aggressive 7-1 split on the bench for their Champions Cup showdown with Leinster, though they will be without their towering Wallaby lock Will Skelton.
La Rochelle player ratings: La Rochelle demonstrated why they are two-time Champions Cup winners, showing composure and grit in a hard-fought 24-20 away victory.
Ronan O'Gara has laid to rest any concerns that he may rest some of his La Rochelle stars for their opening match of the Investec Champions Cup by naming a formidable outfit to run out at Bath's Rec on Friday.
Among the quartet that have committed to the Top 14 club until 2029 is France No8 Gregory Alldritt, who sat out last Sunday’s Guinness Six Nations draw with Italy through injury.
The Stormers recorded their first Champions Cup win of the season, beating Stade Rochelais in Cape Town on Saturday.
La Rochelle winger Dillyn Leyds has opened up on what has given the back-to-back European champions the edge in the last few seasons, citing man management as a crucially important factor.
Leinster and La Rochelle have named their teams for Saturday’s Heineken Champions Cup final in Dublin, the Irish province making two changes from their semi-final win over Toulouse and the defending champions two as well after their victory over Exeter.
When you are in charge of a team that has won 14 matches on the bounce, panic isn’t the sensible reaction following a single underwhelming performance.
Fabien Gatlthie has named a France team to play Ireland this Saturday in Dublin that shows no changes from last Sunday’s Guinness Six Nations round one win over Italy in Rome.