La Rochelle 'to get over hump' of Champions Cup exit
PREVIEW: La Rochelle assistant coach Donnacha Ryan has challenged his side to bounce back from their Champions Cup elimination in Sunday’s French Top 14 trip to Clermont.
Ryan’s outfit were beaten by Harlequins on Sunday to prematurely end their hopes of claiming a third Champions Cup title, having lifted the crown in 2022 and 2023.
La Rochelle have not won at Clermont’s Stade Marcel-Michelin since rugby turned professional in 1995, and Les Jaunards have not tasted defeat at home in the league since September.
“It’s a massive challenge for us to get over the hump from last week,” Ryan told AFP on Tuesday.
“To just recharge the batteries to make sure we can put our best foot forward this weekend,” added the former Ireland international, who was capped 47 times.
La Rochelle, whose head coach is Ryan’s compatriot Ronan O’Gara, sit in seventh place in the Top 14 table, just two points behind Montpellier in the final play-off spot, with 12 rounds of the regular season to play.
Their squad, which includes France internationals like Nolann Le Garrec and Gregory Alldritt as well as giant Australia lock Will Skelton, have been inconsistent this season.
They have mixed dominant wins over Toulon and Bayonne with a thumping 60-14 defeat at league leaders Toulouse.
“It’s about keeping the energy levels up because the boys are on their 12th week,” Ryan said.
“Realising that there’s frustrations there, but we can’t take the eye off the ball.
“Top 14 is a huge part of what we’re about this year as well,” the 42-year-old added.
La Rochelle have never won the Top 14.
‘Lucky’ to have Alldritt
Former Munster lock Ryan joined La Rochelle on the Atlantic coast in 2021 after ending his playing career following five seasons with Racing 92 in Paris.
“We’re really enjoying the experience,” Ryan said of his family.
“La Rochelle is a beautiful town.
“My kids love going to school every morning, they even have little scraps in French amongst themselves.
“So it’s very cute,” he added.
Alldritt, who has 58 Test caps, is likely to start in the Auvergne this weekend, in his first game since his shock omission from France’s Six Nations squad announced on Wednesday.
“He’s a very smart guy, pre-game, half-time, after game – (he) just gets really to the point, and gets a really sensitive group as well,” Ryan had said of club captain Alldritt ahead of Fabien Galthie’s midweek bombshell.
“He’s always asking questions, he’s challenging, and that’s what you want, so we’re very lucky to have him.”
Elsewhere this weekend, bottom side Montauban head to 13th-placed Perpignan in a battle to avoid the drop, while Antoine Dupont’s Toulouse host Pau in a clash between the top two.
It will be the final round of fixtures with all of Galthie’s front-line France squad members available for their clubs until the end of the Six Nations.
Galthie’s title-holders open their Six Nations campaign on February 5 by welcoming Ireland.
Fixtures:
(All times GMT)
Saturday
Bordeaux-Begles v Stade Francais (13.30)
Bayonne v Castres, (13.30)
Racing 92 v Lyon (13.30)
Toulon v Montpellier (13.30)
Perpignan v Montauban, (15.35)
Toulouse v Pau (20.00)
Sunday:
Clermont v La Rochelle (20.05)
