Two-time European champions La Rochelle, set to battle the Stormers on Saturday, burst free from a humble track record to dominate the club scene over the past three years.
From its small harbour-town base on the west coast of France, the club has historically struggled to achieve major success, despite the fervent support of their committed fans.
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La Rochelle had been throwing their weight around the PROD2 (France’s second division) and had never played in the Top 14. When they did reach France’s premier league in 2010, they were almost immediately sent back down to the second division.
This prompted club president Vincent Merling, a former flanker with La Rochelle in the 1970s, to draw up a five-year plan, called “Growing Together” that convinced local businessmen to support the club.
Part of the plan was acheived when La Rochelle beat Agen in the 2013-13 PROD2 final and again secured their place in the Top 14. The club has never again been relegated.
In 2018, La Rochelle took another major step forward by hiring former All Blacks forward Jono Gibbes as director of rugby. Under Gibbes, La Rochelle again qualified for the Top 14 playoffs, but again were beaten in the semi-finals.
Seeking to finally deliver some silverware to La Rochelle’s faithful fans, Gibbes appointed former Ireland flyhalf Ronan O’Gara as head coach before the 2019-20 season.
Coming off a Super Rugby stint with the Crusaders, O’Gara implemented the “keep ball alive” mindset at La Rochelle – a high-speed, high-intensity style of play which requires the players to look to offload as much as possible.
O’Gara’s tactics found a special place in the hearts of both the La Rochelle fans and players, particularly South African recruits Dillyn Leyds and Raymond Rhule, whose stock has risen exponentially since moving to France.
The fairytale ending was delivered in 2022, when La Rochelle stunned Top 14 rivals Toulouse 24-21 in front of 60 000 fans at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille to win the Champions Cup, their first major trophy.
FAST FIVE FACTS
– La Rochelle’s stadium is named after Marcel Deflandre, president of the club during World War II, when the town was occupied by the German army in June 1940. He was executed in 1944 for his role in the resistance.
– Stade Marcel-Deflandre was the only Top 14 venue to record 100% capacity attendances in each of the 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.
– Springbok wing Raymond Rhule is La Rochelle’s all-time top try-scorer in the Champions Cup with seven.
– Former Bok prop and SA Rugby Player of the Year Gurthro Steenkamp is the club’s scrum coach.
–By mid-December 2022, La Rochelle had lost just eight of their 28 Champions Cup fixtures (drawing once) since their debut match in 2017.
FACT FILE:
Location: La Rochelle, France
Stadium: Stade Marcel-Deflandre
Captain:Gregory Aldritt
Coach: Ronan O’Gara
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Dillyn Leyds earned the last of his 10 Test caps for the Springboks in 2019, but is a talented playmaker consistently fielded at fullback and wing.
A supremely skilful player with pace, vision and quick feet, the 30-year-old – alongside fellow Bok Raymond Rhule – has been a mainstay for the French outfit during their golden era and was key to both of their Champions Cup-winning campaigns.
An incisive threat in a team that has produced many a memorable try, Leyds can also be trusted under the high ball as well as put the boot in and he works bravely on defence.
Rhule, who like Leyds can play centre, wing and fullback, has similarly proved to be an invaluable asset. The Accra-born speedster clocked at 35km/h by French broadcasters during a game, as quick as France’s FIFA World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe.
Back-row bruiser Gregory Aldritt has rocketed up the list of must-have players in the French squad in the two years since he won the first of his 45 Test caps, by smashing holes in the defence for fun, stopping opposition runners in their tracks, stealing ball while also linking seamlessly with the backline.
Will Skelton has taken his game to another level since first departing Australia for Saracens in 2017, and the monstrous lock has gone on to play a leading role in La Rochelle’s quest to dominate the European and French top-flight. His form even thrust him into the Wallabies captaincy during the World Cup.
Photo: Hugo Pfeiffer/Icon Sport via Getty Images
