O'Gara finds 'frustration' but positives too as clumsy La Rochelle labour to win over Toulon

Top 14 round-up: Irishman's side make heavy weather of opening victory of the campaign but 'in the medium and long term, I think this match will benefit us'

SUNSHINE AND SHADOWS: La Rochelle's Irish coach Ronan O'Gara looks during to the French Top 14 rugby union match between Rugby Club Toulonnais (Toulon) and Stade Rochelais (La Rochelle). Pic:  MATTHIEU RONDEL/AFP via Getty Images

La Rochelle coach Ronan O’Gara said there were “plenty of positives … but also a lot of frustration” after his side laboured to a clumsy 19-15 win over undisciplined Toulon in their first outing of the Top 14 season at a packed-out Stade Marcel Deflandre.

It was the fourth match of the French top-flight’s opening weekend decided by less than a score – but La Rochelle dominated possession and territory and should have won more convincingly. O’Gara, however, saw longer-term positives. 

“In the medium and long term, I think this match will benefit us,” he said. “We were very good at seeing space, but we weren't able to score.” Despite dominating the opening period, when Toulon were twice reduced to 14, with Dan Biggar and Baptiste Serin were sin-binned, La Rochelle went in at the break just 7-3 up, courtesy of scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow’s scrambled 18th-minute try.

Discipline was one of Toulon’s strong suits last season, when ex-referee Romain Poite was on staff. He left in June to head up a new FFR professional refereeing unit alongside Mathieu Raynal.

The three yellows and 16 penalties – including 10 in the opening 35 minutes – that Toulon shipped in their first Top 14 outing since his departure were surely coincidental. They certainly were not appreciated by manager Pierre Mignoni, who criticised his side’s ‘stupid errors’.

Visiting winger Gael Drean touched down early in the second half to take Toulon into a brief and scarcely deserved lead. But Dillyn Leyds hit back for La Rochelle almost immediately, and replacement tighthead Georges-Henri Colombe flopped over a ruck to extend their lead 10 minutes from time.

At last, the game appeared over – but Drean raced in for his second against the run of play to secure a defensive bonus point.

The answer to the possible future pub quiz question ‘who scored Vannes’ first-ever try in the Top 14?’ is Mako Vunipola. It was a typical veteran loosehead score – a close-range pick and go, but it was still worth as many points as the two more expansive tries defending Top 14 champions Toulouse had already scored through Thomas Ramos and Alexandre Roumat – and for the capacity crowd at Stade de la Rabine it was priceless.

Second row Christian van der Merwe got their second, while Theo Ntamack, Pita Ahki and David Ainu’u crossed to give Toulouse a bonus-point 18-43 victory.

The season kicked off on Saturday in Bayonne, where another full house at Stade Jean Dauger saw the home side come from behind to beat Perpignan 21-19, courtesy of Joris Segonds’ late 50m penalty.

Stuart Lancaster’s Racing 92 led 28-26 at Jeremy Davidson’s Castres with less than two minutes left on the clock, after new signing Owen Farrell landed his fourth conversion to take his personal debut tally to 11 points. But the hosts’ new winger Christian Ambadiang touched down from the restart to seal a 31-28 win.

Ex-Scotland fullback Stuart Hogg scored an early try for Montpellier on his comeback from retirement against Lyon. But the visitors picked up their first win on the road in more than a year, holding off a late Montpellier fightback to win 22-26.

Clermont scored four unanswered tries in the second half to beat Pau 39-7, while Bordeaux ran in six tries at a sold-out Stade Chaban Delmas as they beat Stade Francais 46-26 in a repeat of last season’s play-off semi-final.