Leinster 40-13 La Rochelle: Hosts emphatically knock out Champions Cup holders in Dublin quarter-final
James Lowe (two), Jamison Gibson-Park, Ryan Baird, Dan Sheehan scored tries as Leinster finally got the better of La Rochelle in a Champions Cup knockout contest at fourth time of asking; Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle beat Leinster in the final in 2022 and 2023, and the semi-finals in 2021
By Michael Cantillon at Aviva Stadium
Last Updated: 13/04/24 9:48pm
Leinster rid the ghosts of their past vs Champions Cup holders La Rochelle, emphatically beating Ronan O'Gara's charges 40-13 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin to progress to the semi-finals.
La Rochelle defeated Leinster in the previous two European Cup finals (2022 in Marseille, 2023 in Dublin), coming from behind to overturn big deficits on both occasions, but they were well outplayed in this 2024 quarter-final.
By full-time, Leinster had scored five tries through wing James Lowe (two), exceptional scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park, flanker Ryan Baird and hooker Dan Sheehan.
Out-half Ross Byrne added three penalties alongside three conversions. La Rochelle garnered points via a converted Louis Penverne try and two Antoine Hastoy penalties, but looked anything like their best selves a week on from having to play their last-16 tie vs the Stormers in Cape Town.
Leinster will now face Northampton Saints in the last four, which will be played at Croke Park in Dublin, due to the Aviva Stadium's hosting of the Europa League final.
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A soft penalty for offside saw Byrne make no mistake off the tee from 40 metres out or so after nine minutes for a 3-0 lead. Though Jason Jenkins soon conceded a penalty himself for offside - just as soft a concession as La Rochelle's - and Hastoy kicked play up to the 22 for the first time, Leinster turned over ball at the maul through Sheehan and Joe McCarthy.
A crucial Jordan Larmour breakdown penalty within the Leinster 22 after superb play between La Rochelle backs Dillyn Leyds, Teddy Thomas and Tawera Kerr-Barlow kept the visitors out again, and on 17 minutes, it was the hosts who crossed for the opening try.
After Lowe chased down and regathered a loose bouncing ball from a speculative Jamie Osborne kick, an exhaustive set of phases eventually saw Byrne pop a pass to Lowe, handing the winger a free run in.
Byrne struck through off the tee for 10-0, but Leinster captain Caelan Doris sealed off at the first breakdown following the restart, allowing Hastoy to kick La Rochelle onto the board at 10-3.
Leinster soon passed up three big try chances as they piled on the pressure. First, openside Will Connors should have passed with Lowe unmarked outside him. Then, when the ball did reach Lowe close to the try-line a phase later, he was sensationally held up by Hastoy.
Leinster had penalty advantage during that second chance, and chose to attack off a five-metre tap rather than kick for points. In the end, the TMO was called in to check if Gibson-Park had scored off a snipe close to the posts, but replays showed he too was held up over the try-line via Gregory Alldritt and Tolu Latu, and La Rochelle could clear.
A rather harsh high tackle call by referee Karl Dickson against UJ Seuteni then gave Byrne another chance off the kicking tee from distance, and the Leinster 10 made no mistake with a superb strike.
Again, Leinster conceded a penalty directly after the restart, as Levani Botia smashed Doris in a tackle, and then returned to his feet to jackal over the ball in trademark fashion. Hastoy tapped over to return the visitors within a score of the hosts.
Another dominant collision win by Botia failed to work in his favour shortly after, as the ball deflected off him in the ruck while he lay on the wrong side, resulting in an easy penalty call, and three more points via the boot of Byrne.
Jenkins was penalised for failing to release in a jackal attempt as La Rochelle sought to play their way back into the quarter-final, but though the away side kicked to touch in the 22, Alldritt coughed up the ball forward within another rolling maul into the grateful grasp of Baird.
With two minutes to go in the half, Leinster made La Rochelle pay with a stunning try down the left: McCarthy found Lowe with a terrific offload inside, before Ireland colleagues Lowe and Gibson-Park combining via a blind one-handed offload from the former to the latter.
The score was checked for a forward pass, but replays showed the offload actually connected off the body of Gibson-Park, before the scrum-half regathered in front of him to sprint down the touchline.
Byrne converted superbly for 23-6, but there remained just enough time for La Rochelle to lay siege to the Leinster line, kicking three successive penalties to the corner, and eventually mauling over four minutes into dead time, with 21-year-old loosehead Penverne touching down.
Hastoy converted despite a strong Leinster chase, bringing the French side within 10 points at the break.
Already shorn of first-choice full-back Brice Dulin due to injury, La Rochelle lost starter Dillyn Leyds during the half-time break. An Andrew Porter breakdown penalty then handed Leinster the first attacking chance of the second half -ref Dickson missing an illegal piece of play by Jenkins on Latu off the ball which stopped any chance of a clearout - with the hosts ruthless in scoring again.
Superb hands down the left through Tadhg Furlong - outstanding on the day - Robbie Henshaw, Larmour and Lowe found Baird, who displayed his pace outside Jack Nowell and then through a poor Hastoy tackle to run in.
In a disastrous double-whammy for La Rochelle, star scrum-half Kerr-Barlow was seriously injured attempting to make a tackle earlier in the move, and was stretchered off.
Byrne converted to take Leinster to a commanding lead of 30-13, and Hastoy compounded matters by kicking the restart straight out. Leinster then marched forward for a scrum penalty too, with La Rochelle struggling.
The visitors forced a Byrne knock-on, and then had a sustained spell in possession in the Leinster half, but Gibson-Park ended things with a priceless breakdown penalty - one he has fortunate to get away with looking back, due to going beyond the ball initially.
In the 56th minute, Sheehan's try rubberstamped victory as Leinster stretched and compressed La Rochelle to a point that two scrappy long passes from Byrne and then Lowe afforded the dynamic hooker an ocean of space to sprint into and score in the left corner.
Four minutes later, Lowe put Leinster over the hills and far away, as after Larmour did well to claim a high ball, Henshaw produced a sensational kick-pass, from which Lowe had the strength to hold off Nowell and ground the ball.
La Rochelle played out the majority of the remainder in possession, but such was the gulf on the scoreboard, hopes were long since dashed, and they failed to add anything further in any case.
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