The Leinster and La Rochelle rivalry will see another chapter this weekend as they face off in the Champions Cup quarter-final match. The Aviva Stadium will host the game at 5:30pm this Saturday. This marks the fifth encounter between these two teams since the start of 2021.
The recent history of the Champions Cup has been shaped by the battles between Leo Cullen’s Leinster and the emerging French side led by O’Gara. To date, the French outfit has been victorious three times, all of which were key knockout matches, including the semi-final in 2021 and the finals in the subsequent two years. Leinster’s only win came during the pool stages of this current season back in December.
The match will be broadcast by RTÉ given its arrangement of airing one Champions Cup game from every round on free-to-air television. The fact that Leinster is the only remaining Irish team makes it a straightforward choice for the broadcaster. TNT Sports will also be providing coverage for their subscribers.
Despite being announced only a week prior, the match has seen robust ticket sales, with fewer than 10,000 left as of Tuesday evening.
Leinster’s line-up will be formally announced on Friday; nevertheless, there are several injury concerns for key players. Garry Ringrose is in training, but his availability following a shoulder injury is yet undecided. Cian Healy, who had to leave the field in the round-of-16 victory over Leicester due to a limp, has yet to confirm his status. Meanwhile, long-term injured players Charlie Ngatai and Jimmy O’Brien are nearing a return, but whether they will participate in this crucial game is yet to be confirmed.
Luke McGrath has recovered from a concussion and has been declared fit to play. Additionally, teammates Robbie Henshaw, Andrew Porter, Hugo Keenan, and Ciarán Frawley successfully participated in the game against Leicester upon their return from their respective injuries.
In their journey to the quarter-finals, Leinster’s path proved quite smooth. They secured victories over La Rochelle in rainy conditions in December, followed by a win over Sale despite an underwhelming performance. They also managed to clinch vital wins against Leicester and Stade Francais, ensuring their qualification as top seeds. Their successes assured them of a home advantage up until the finals, pending their continued success. This final round is set to occur at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and they are following their winning trend after defeating Leicester at the Aviva the previous weekend.
La Rochelle, on the other hand, faced a more challenging route. Hence, the two teams are meeting at this somewhat premature stage rather than the final round. La Rochelle’s initial loss to Leinster was followed by a narrow defeat to the Stormers in Cape Town, courtesy of Manie Libbok’s last-minute conversion. Despite these setbacks, La Rochelle managed to bounce back with wins against Leicester at home and Sale on the road. However, the early losses cost them a low seeding and consecutive away matches in the knockouts.
Persistent throughout the competition, O’Gara and his team found themselves en route to Cape Town once again to face the Stormers in the round of 16. Yet again, Libbok had a last-second conversion to eliminate them, but this time he missed the mark. Thus, La Rochelle moved forward to face their common rivals in Dublin yet again.
As for the favourite, none of the teams are at their peak during this time of the year. La Rochelle already have two losses in this contest, and they currently sit fifth in the Top 14. Leinster, although able to secure wins, exhibited vulnerability in their game against Leicester.
Considering these factors, bookmakers slightly favour Leinster. In what could be an overestimation, an Irish betting provider predicts an eight-point spread win for the province.