'It was a day for men' - O'Gara hails La Rochelle character after gritty win in Perpignan

O’Gara unsurprisingly singled-out match-winner Nolann Le Garrec for praise after he was responsible for 26 of La Rochelle's 31 points

Sat, 25 Apr, 2026 - 21:57

James Harrington

Ronan O’Gara praised his La Rochelle side’s character as they held firm to snatch a late and hard-fought 31-29 victory in a momentum-swinging Top 14 match against Perpignan at Stade Aime Giral.

Scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec added two more tries to his tally, scoring 26 of his side’s points — to add to the 25 he managed in last weekend’s home win over Bordeaux — including the 79th-minute penalty that took the points away from the home side.

“It was a day for men,” O’Gara told journalists afterwards. “We showed we're capable of playing like men because it’s a very hostile stadium. Perpignan played the turnovers very well and scored tries easily.

“[Our performance was] encouraging — we’re gaining momentum. There was a lot of desire today. It was necessary because we didn’t control everything as we should have. But we’re rediscovering what made us strong.”

Leinster’s Champions Cup semi-final opponents Toulon picked up a bonus-point 52-26 win over Bayonne at Stade Mayol – in which the historic 1,100th Top 14 try of the season was scored — which meant La Rochelle slipped a place in the league to ninth. Crucially, however, their fourth win in five Top 14 outings meant that their play-off hopes remain very much alive.

O’Gara unsurprisingly singled-out match-winner Le Garrec for praise. “He’s a match-winner with a remarkable competitive spirit,” the manager said. “Whether it's Monday or Saturday, whether there are 18,000 spectators or just a few people, he has the same mentality.

“He brings me a lot of peace of mind. When you have someone like him in the locker room, anything is possible.”

But Gregory Alldritt, too, delivered a solid performance at the back of the pack and in the loose, while winger Davit Niniashvili’s pace wrought havoc and panic in Perpignan’s defence.

Elsewhere, another late penalty decided another high-intensity affair. Under the watchful eyes of France coach Fabien Galthie, a rejuvenated Louis Carbonel, finally playing to his potential again after a number of difficult seasons, slotted the 83rd-minute kick that handed Stade Francais a 34-32 win over an indisciplined Pau.

Castres’ Champions Cup qualification hopes took another hit, as they let a 15-5 lead at Lyon slip, eventually losing 26-21.

Racing 92 picked up a campaign-enhancing bonus-point 59-10 win at Montauban. The home side have now crashed through the 150 tries conceded barrier and are 27 points away from passing Agen’s 1,101 points shipped mark.

Bordeaux and Montpellier prepared for their respective Champions Cup and Challenge Cup semi-finals with a clash-of-styles encounter at Stade Chaban Delmas. Indiscipline should have cost the visitors, who were reduced to 13 in the closing minutes. But, in the end, an orange card for Jefferson Poirot, for a dangerous tackle, proved the most costly as it gave Domingo Miotti a late shot at goal. He made no mistake, to claim the win 23-21.

Sunday’s weekend-closing match between Toulouse and Clermont at a sold-out Stadium Toulouse is a high-stakes one for the visitors as they look to maintain their top-six challenge in a rapidly tightening play-off race.

Ugo Mola has again preferred Paul Graou at nine to Antoine Dupont, who is on the bench for the second game in a row. Christophe Urios has, unsurprisingly, picked his strongest available side as Clermont try to achieve something no side has accomplished this season: bring points home from Toulouse.