It was only a pool win and La Rochelle can undoubtedly still live to fight another day, but few away wins can have been as hard-earned, as rewarding, or as significant as Leinster’s tense 16-14 win in the Stade Deflandre on Sunday. But after the Deflandre had been deflated by Leinster’s defiance, Ronan O’Gara struck … Read more
Leinster and Munster both secured hard-fought victories to put their fate in their own hands, while Connacht ran out comfortable winners in the Challenge Cup and Ulster’s defeat means they need a win on Friday to join them in the competition. The four highest-ranked clubs in each pool will qualify for the Round of 16. … Read more
Champions Cup: La Rochelle 14 Leinster 16 It’s said that attacks win matches and defences win trophies, but while the latter remains to be seen there’s no doubt that Leinster’s masterly, self-drilled defence won them the latest instalment of this extraordinary modern-day European rivalry. On a gorgeous if cold day in this beautiful city on … Read more
20 mins: They go for a lineout this time. Well collected and then a ruck to a few metres away. Van der Flier getting in some strong tackles. And they force La Rochelle back several metres. And then Gibson-Park turns over the ball! Great defending. La Rochelle 3 Leinster 3 18 mins: A five-metre scrum … Read more
“L’opportunité, c’est f**king énorme,” roared Ronan O’Gara to his players on the eve of a French Championship semi-final against Bordeaux in June 2023. The video, like most things O’Gara does, is compelling and was seen by millions, as he addressed his team in a thickly Cork-accented French speech regularly interspersed with the ‘f’ word, raising … Read more
Funny, isn’t it, how some bans work out? If you’d thought about it, before Mack Hansen’s midweek disciplinary hearing for the remarks he made about the officiating immediately after their pre-Christmas loss to Leinster, a three-week suspension would have served to hit the player and the province, while leaving him free to play for Ireland … Read more
Ronan O’Gara: Time for a hug? Tough love doesn’t work on everybody Irish Examiner ‘I absolutely love that’ – Leinster’s Joe McCarthy relishing La Rochelle battle RTÉ News Eager Joe McCarthy is hungry again and looking for bigger fish to fry Irish Independent Joe McCarthy relishing physical battle as Leinster face La Rochelle BreakingNews.ie Leinster v La Rochelle: How … Read more
Leinster’s Jordie Barrett offloads out of the tackle by Connacht’s Sean Jansen and Mack Hansen during their URC duel at the Aviva Stadium. Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile It’s a case of fitting diamond-encrusted square pegs into round holes. Since the decision to sign Jordie Barrett was announced, we’ve wondered how Leo Cullen and Jacques Nienaber would … Read more
Tolu Latu Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle could be without another key player for Sunday’s Champions Cup rematch with Leinster after it emerged hooker Tolu Latu will face a disciplinary hearing today. According to l’Equipe, the former Wallaby powerhouse is in the dock after a clean out that injured Toulouse’s teenage scrum half Simon Daroque in … Read more
Andrew Porter of Leinster is tackled by Pierre Fouyssac of ASM Clermont Auvergne during the Champions Cup Pool 2 match at the Aviva Stadium. Photo: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile When Leinster were selling the idea of recruiting Jacques Nienaber to the IRFU, his capacity for left-field thinking must have played a big role in the pitch. No … Read more