Top 14: Dulin parks World Cup woe to star in La Rochelle rebound

Ronan O’Gara’s side bounced back from opening-day defeat at Montpellier with a win over Lyon.

La Rochelle's French full-back Brice Dulin (C) fights for the ball with Lyon's French hooker Yanis Charcosset (L) during the French Top14 rugby union match between Stade Rochelais and Lyon at Raymond-Kopa stadium in Angers, on August 26, 2023.  (Photo by LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images)

France World Cup squad reject Brice Dulin made an immediate return to the La Rochelle fold and got the scoreboard rolling as Ronan O’Gara’s side bounced back from opening-day defeat at Montpellier with a four-tries-to-two 35-14 win over Lyon.

Ongoing work at Stade Marcel Deflandre meant the match was moved two hours and nearly 200km up the A87 in western France to the 20,000-capacity Stade Raymond Kopa, in Angers.