La Rochelle ensured that their defence of the Champions Cup would continue yesterday, but Ronan O'Gara's men certainly did not find things easy during their 22-21 victory over Stormers in Cape Town.
The French side had a horrid start the match, finding themselves 16-0 down at halftime. Playing away from home against a very good side, it looked as though the European champions were about to exit the competition.
However, whatever their head coach said to them at halftime seemed to make a big difference.
La Rochelle would score 22 unanswered points in the second half, with this last gasp conversion miss ensuring they would run out as winners by the smallest of margins.
THEY HAVE DONE IT 💥@staderochelais held out against @THESTORMERS after an incredibly tense game 22-21 securing a spot in the Quarter Finals 😬🏉#STOvSR | #InvestecChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/og2f1uOK0J
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) April 6, 2024
They will now face Leinster in the quarter-finals at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday evening.
READ HERE: Will Skelton Praised For Remarkable Moment Of Sportsmanship In La Rochelle Win
Rugby: Ronan O'Gara gave furious halftime speech in La Rochelle win
Ronan O'Gara has done a remarkable job at La Rochelle, winning two Champions Cups since being appointed in 2019.
He showed his worth once again yesterday, rejuvenating his team just when it looked as though they were about to buckle on the big stage.
Speaking after the game, La Rochelle fullback Brice Dulin opened up on the Irishman's furious halftime reaction to the side's performance during the first 40 minutes.
Ronan made one of his famous 'Franglais' speeches with a lot of words that we can't repeat.
But we knew we needed to be more active and actors in our game.
Ronan O'Gara's version of French with a heavy Cork twang has become the stuff of legends at this stage, but it certainly seems to do the job.
Kerry native and La Rochelle second row Ultan Dillane also spoke about the coach's halftime speech in the aftermath of the game.
We thought we were going to get into this game, but we were tired.
It was expected that it would be a big physical challenge. At half-time, ROG had very serious words to say to us...
We were very frustrated. When we came back [in the second half], we had to go straight ahead, not to complicate the game. It hurt them, it hurt them.
And it gave us confidence, we thought they were going to crack. And in the end, we were lucky.
La Rochelle's game against Leinster next weekend could go a long way towards deciding the winners of this season's Champions Cup, with those two teams having been the best sides in European rugby over the last couple of years.
The Irish province won the pool stage meeting between the sides earlier on in the campaign, although their loss to Ronan O'Gara's men in last year's final will still be at the forefront of their minds on Saturday evening.
It should make for a fantastic spectacle.
SEE ALSO: O'Gara Bringing La Rochelle To Cork For A Week To Plot Leinster's Downfall
