Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle keep Top 14 play-off dream alive with Toulouse rout

La Rochelle defeated Toulouse 38-10 to close the gap on the play-off places

La Rochelle picked up their fourth consecutive Top 14 win with victory over Toulouse. Pic: XAVIER LEOTY / AFP via Getty Images

The Top 14 play-off dream is very much alive for Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle following an impressive 38-10 bonus-point win over a rotated Toulouse at Stade Marcel Deflandre.

Their fourth Top 14 win on the bounce — and fifth in six matches — pulled O’Gara’s side to within four of the top six, and two behind seventh-placed Racing 92.

Three tries in nine second-quarter minutes got the scoreboard moving in the hosts’ favour, after they had dominated territory and possession in the opening exchanges at Stade Marcel Deflandre.

A 5m tap penalty move handed 21-year-old breakout second row Charles Kante Sambe his first-ever senior try in the 22nd minute. It was the opening scoring salvo of a near-perfect first half.

Captain Gregory Alldritt, whose pop pass on the turn had given Kante Sambe the space he needed three minutes previously, then bashed over from close range after his pack colleagues had blasted their way to the line after a rotated and ill-disciplined Toulouse had conceded another penalty.

La Rochelle were more direct than they had been at Racing last week, but still played high-pace, free-wheeling rugby. ‘KBA’ is back at Marcel Deflandre.

And Oscar Jegou found himself in wide open spaces after Davit Niniashvili’s mazy run, Nolan Le Garrec’s pass and Judicael Cancoriet’s break ripped open the visitors’ defence just before the half-hour.

Toulouse — kept scoreless in the opening period — finally hit back through Jack Willis six minutes after the restart. But their own errors and determined, obdurate, occasionally scrambling La Rochelle defence meant they would get no closer.

Two more home side heroes got their names on a La Rochelle scoresheet for the first time — 21-year-old Olympic gold medalist Andy Timo dived over for his first Top 14 touchdown 13 minutes from time, and Adrien Seguret burst through for the icing score, his first for La Rochelle since signing from Castres earlier in the season, five minutes from time.

Leinster’s Champions Cup final opponents Bordeaux flirted with disaster against Perpignan. But they came from behind for the second week in a row to win 37-32 and climb to fifth in the table. Deluxe replacement Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored two, made one and saved one with the clock in the red at the end of the second half.

There is, however, now concern he may not be fit for Saturday’s showpiece in Bilbao, after he was spotted limping out of Stade Chaban Delmas.

Ulster’s Friday night Challenge Cup final opponents Montpellier hung tough with a hard-fought 36-33 win in a 10-try thriller at Castres.

On Saturday night, Racing 92 ended Toulon’s play-off ambitions with a 43-28 win at La Defense Arena. Earlier, Samuel Ezeala scored a hat-trick and Noah Nene got a double as Stade Francais ran 11-try riot at relegated Montauban, winning 73-25.

Bayonne’s dismal 2026 continued with a 42-35 defeat at Lyon, while Pau maintained their unbeaten run at home with a 24-19 win over Clermont.