Top 14: O’Gara’s in-form La Rochelle storm to bonus-point win over Lyon

The victory is the third on the trot.

Sat, 05 Oct, 2024 - 21:59

James Harrington

Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle doubled down on last weekend’s take-the-points win on the road at Racing 92 with a thrilling bonus-point 43-22 victory over Lyon.

It was their first three-in-a-row run for 17 months – in front of their 95th consecutive sell-out crowd at Stade Marcel Deflandre. The weekend’s Top 14 matches at Vannes, Perpignan, Bordeaux and Castres were also played in front of capacity crowds.

But the final score belied the truth of the match. The visitors led 15-6 after half an hour, courtesy of tries for Martin Page-Relo and the first of Marvin Gys Okuya’s brace.

Thomas Berjon, who scored La Rochelle’s first try in response from the unusual position of left wing, told Canal Plus’ cameras at the break: “We’ve not been patient enough... We must take advantage of the spaces and we should have fun in the second half.”

So they did. Jonathan Danty got the scoreboard rolling six minutes into the second half. Replacement hooked Quentin Lespiaucq crashed over 10 minutes later. Flanker Paul Boudehent touched down in the 69th and 78th minute, and 20-year-old backrow Édouard Richer forced his way over for the bonus-point try with the clock in the red.

The result ‘showed our character’, La Rochelle coach Remi Tales said afterwards: “We knew it was going to be complicated, but we had built the match, we hoped that they would crack with the bench that we had.

“It feels good, for the second time in a row at Deflandre, we’ve got five points. It’s better to start the season like this. We didn’t manage three in a row last year – we had to confirm last weekend's victory.”

Bordeaux, too, consolidated on last Sunday’s epic 16-12 victory at Toulouse with a home win over Bayonne. But they were made to work for their points – Mateo Garcia’s 76th-minute penalty the decider in a 30-27 win.

Sighs of relief all round at under-revamped management Stade Francais. Six days after the club parted ways with head coach Karim Ghezal following a third defeat in four games, and with sporting director Laurent Labit taking the reins, they fought their way to a 29-20 win over struggling Montpellier at Stade Jean Bouin.

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The result prompted Montpellier’s new manager Joan Cardullo to declare his side are ‘in a state of emergency’ and describe next weekend’s game against Vannes as a survival match. They could be without Paul Willemse, who suffered another brain injury, just two matches after returning from a mandatory concussion stand-down.

Something of a reprieve, too, for Racing 92 after three losses in their first four outings, as they won 27-24 at promoted Vannes. Breton Nolan Le Garrec kicked 12 points against his former club – who are coached by his father.

Toulouse’s losing streak at Castres, which dates back to 2019, will run for another year, after Jeremy Davidson’s side came back from 11-20 down at halftime to win 28-23 to maintain their perfect home record this season.

An 81st-minute Antoine Aucagne penalty handed Perpignan an 11-10 win over Pau at Stade Aime-Giral, the only points of the second-half, moments after replacement hooker Ignacio Ruiz had been denied an on-the-hooter try.

Toulon – with Dan Brennan on the bench – head to Clermont for the final Top 14 match of the weekend on Sunday night, while ex-Leinster tighthead Michael Ala’alatoa starts for the hosts.