Five-star La Rochelle give O'Gara New Year cheer and move up to third

European champions end 2022 in style with a 29-10 win at 14-man Perpignan as Stade Francais close the gap on Top 14 leaders Toulouse 

MOVING UP: La Rochelle coach Ronan O'Gara saw his side rise to third in the table at the turn of the year. Pic: AP

Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle put their Christmas-week home defeat behind them to ring in 2023 by climbing to third in the Top 14 with a five-try 29-10 win at 14-man Perpignan.

But fly-half Antoine Hastoy insisted further improvements were needed. “In terms of points, it's great,” the fly-half said. “Our performance wasn't good, we can't be satisfied with that. But we got five points and we needed them after the defeat against Bordeaux. Our second-half performance wasn’t good, but we got away with the victory.”