O'Gara admits he almost 'cracked' French out-half Hastoy

The fly-half landed a penalty with the clock in the red at Stade Marcel Deflandre at the weekend.

La Rochelle head coach Ronan O'Gara. Pic: XAVIER LEOTY / AFP

'Optimist' Ronan O'Gara hopes La Rochelle's laboured Top 14 win over an inexperienced yet effervescent Toulouse side serves as a "wake-up call" for his players as they prepare to host Investec Champions Cup rivals Leinster on Sunday.

Fly-half Antoine Hastoy landed a penalty with the clock in the red as the hosts escaped with a 22-19 win at the end of an error-strewn and penalty-ridden performance in front of the 100th consecutive sell-out crowd at Stade Marcel Deflandre on Saturday.