Ronan O'Gara's relief as La Rochelle eye Toulouse revenge: 'We've woken up now'

'It’s been a difficult week. On Tuesday we hit breaking point. I told them I didn’t like their attitude in training. It felt like we were back at the first day of the season'

Ronan O'Gara at Stade Mayol in Toulon, on Saturday. La Rochelle now face Toulouse next Friday in Bordeaux.

It’s something of a Ronan O’Gara mantra: form matters only at the business end of the season – a point his La Rochelle side proved at Stade Mayol as they beat Toulon 34-29 to book a semi-final berth in Bordeaux on Friday, against their nemesis, Toulouse.

By La Rochelle’s standards, they have had a bang average Top 14 campaign, only going ahead on the win-loss ledger on the final weekend of the regular season to finish – courtesy of 12 bonus points – fifth in the table, three points behind their opponents in the barrage round of the post-season play-offs.