A recent rivalry has emerged between La Rochelle and Leinster. While the French beat the Irish twice in the Champions Cup final (2022, 2023), they thought they were once again playing a bad trick on their favorite enemies. But the match of the day (finally) smiled on us.
La Rochelle offers us a high-level last minute
The day after Stade Toulouse's victory in South Africa, punctuated by a foul chistera from Thomas Ramos, La Rochelle welcomed Leinster for a shock of these group stages. Facing the Irish, the French returned to the locker room behind the score (10-6), but with the hope of turning the situation around in the 40 minutes that followed. Nice try.
Shortly after the hour mark, Antoine Hastoy pulled out all the stops by finding Dillyn Leyds with a disconcerting diagonal foot on the opposite side of the field. The South African winger plays the Irish defense with a little low-footed play, and allows the Maritimes to get back on track (16-14). Fortunately, Antoine Hastoy's transformation is missed. A failed attempt which will not, however, be the last.
There is only one minute left to play, and the two teams are still separated by two points. The moment chosen by Leinster to make a mistake, and offer the match ball to Antoine Hastoy at the halfway line. The French flyhalf rushes and sends the ball towards the poles. Unfortunately for him, the kick lacks power and dies at the foot of the latter. Phew.
The score remains unchanged (16-14), but Stade Rochelais gets a double opportunity. After the transformation and the penalty, it was the drop that escaped Hastoy, before a forward punctuated this fabulous game.
