Top 14 title would be sweetest success yet for O'Gara's double-chasing La Rochelle

FOR MOST TEAMS, a Champions Cup title in the bag would represent a job well done for the year but Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle are wired differently.

And so, this evening La Rochelle head into the biggest game of their season as they look to win a first Top 14 title in the club’s history, taking on 21-time winners Toulouse – who thrashed Racing 41-14 to book their place in the final – at the Stade de France. Two years on, La Rochelle look stronger than ever as they head into French rugby’s showpiece fixture, which is expected to draw in one million TV viewers.

They look even more aggressive in defence than they did 12 months ago and play with the confidence of a team who have conquered Europe. They’ve also been able to name the same starting XV that lined out for the Champions Cup final win over Leinster. When the sides last met – a regular season Top 14 clash in January – La Rochelle ended an eight-game losing run against a much-changed Toulouse in emphatic fashion, powering to a 30-7 win at a typically packed Stade Marcel Deflandre.

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