La Rochelle and O'Gara have done the Champions Cup some service

It’s not that they won’t be back at this sharp end of the tournament - everything suggests they absolutely will be – but it's only right that the end of this particular era be given due recognition.

SALUTE: Dan Sheehan leads the Leinster players through the La Rochelle show of respect at the Aviva Stadium. Pic: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

Half-time in the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town nine days ago and Ronan O’Gara couldn’t help but feel that this was a pretty crap way for his La Rochelle team’s tilt at a Champions Cup three-in-a-row to come up short.

The visitors were 16-0 adrift of the Stormers. Their director of rugby wrote in these pages after the fact about how the first-half had been like playing rugby in a steam room or a sauna. His champions were lifeless, sluggish, playing without direction.