O'Gara's La Rochelle still can't solve the Toulouse problem

Toulouse's French centre Pierre-Louis Barassi runs to evade La Rochelle's New Zealander fly-half Ihaia West during the French Top 14 match. Picture: LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP via Getty Images

Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle have a Toulouse problem. It may even be – as he wondered last weekend – a complex.

“I have to ask … do we have a complex with Toulouse?” O’Gara pondered after last Sunday's Top 14 win over Toulon. 

“They’re a historic team – and with our results against them, maybe they’re our bête noire.” 

The evidence for a developing complex is increasingly hard to ignore. Toulouse’s utterly entertaining, high-intensity come-from-behind 35-27 win on Sunday was their 11th in 14 matches against O’Gara’s charges – and extended their unbeaten Top 14 home run to 33.

It’s not the first time victory came in extremis – think the 2023 Top 14 final and Romain Ntamack’s late wonder-try, the 2021 Champions Cup decider, or last season’s semi-final – with those reds for Uini Atonio and Reda Wardi.

Toulouse dominated the first quarter. But La Rochelle opened the scoring, after 20 minutes and against the run of play, as UJ Seuteni’s gasp-inducing offload released Teddy Thomas – playing in the unusual outside centre environs – to weave his way to the line for the first of a brace on his season debut.

That score jolted Toulouse out of their early wastefulness. Pita Ahki was carried over the line by centre partner Pierre-Louis Barassi four minutes later. Thibaud Flament crashed and rolled his way to the tryline two minutes after that, and Barassi forced his way through four defenders on the stroke of halftime.

La Rochelle roared back. Replacement prop Alexandre Kuntalia barged over in the 51st minute, and Thomas scored five minutes later to send the visitors into the lead.

But Toulouse scored 12 points - via a penalty and a converted try for replacement lock Emmanuel Meafou – in the 10 minutes Will Skelton was sin-binned following a series of infringements close to La Rochelle’s line.

It was enough. Thomas suffered an injury in a late break from his own tryline – and, with that, La Rochelle’s hopes of a draw ended.

Meanwhile, a suspected fractured hand ended Joey Carbery’s Top 14 debut 40 minutes into Bordeaux’s 28-26 defeat at Lyon. The hosts’ kicker Leo Berdeu had the final word, slotting an after-the-hooter penalty, moments after Damian Penaud gave the visitors a late lead.

Veteran Henry Chavancy made his 400th club appearance for Racing 92, coming on just after the hour as they beat Clermont 33-20.

Jeremy Davidson’s Castres conceded 19 penalties and two second-half yellows as they let hosts Toulon come from 13-25 down after 52 minutes to win 30-28.

Pau ran in seven tries in a 51-29 win over Bayonne at Stade du Hameau, while Montpellier beat Perpignan 7-26 in a match played at Beziers’ Stade Raoul-Barriere.

After conceding six tries last weekend at Bordeaux, Stade Francais shipped another five at home against promoted Vannes en route to a nervy 34-31 win.