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La Rochelle set up another French showdown in Champions Cup quarter-finals
By PA
Ihaia West scored 16 points as La Rochelle booked a Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final showdown with Montpellier after a hard-fought victory over 14-man Bordeaux-Begles.
The fly-half scored a first-half try and kicked four conversions and a penalty as Ronan O’Gara’s much-changed side, who took an 18-point lead into the second leg, triumphed 31-23 against a dogged Bordeaux outfit who fought to the final whistle despite having number eight Maama Vaipulu sent off early on.
A 62-36 aggregate win means Montpellier will travel to the Stade Marcel Deflandre in the last eight.
The visitors took a 3-0 led courtesy of Maxime Lucu’s 15th-minute penalty, but it was soon cancelled out by West after the La Rochelle pack flexed its muscles at the set-piece.
Bordeaux were reduced to 14 with just 27 minutes one when referee Wayne Barnes sent off Vaipulu for a senseless shoulder charge on centre Jonathan Danty, but Lucu restored their advantage with a second kick to give his side a 6-3 half-time lead.
However, West carved his way through the visitors’ defence within two minutes of the restart to touch down for the game’s first try before adding to conversion to make it 10-6, and obliged once again after number eight Greg Alldritt had crossed.
Nineteen-year-old centre Gatien Masse’s converted 53rd-minute try gave the 14 men hope, but it was extinguished almost immediately when Danty powered his way through before putting in scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow.
Replacement Levani Botia claimed La Rochelle’s fourth try with 12 minutes remaining after Mateo Garcia had kicked a third penalty for the visitors as they cruised to victory despite Jules Plisson’s late yellow card and a consolation try from winger Federico Mori.
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Yeah nar I pretty much agree with that sentiment, wasn't just about the lineout though.
Yeah, I think it's the future of SR, even TRC. Graham above just now posting about how good a night it was with a dbl header of ENGvSA and NZvFrance, and now I don't want to kick SA or Argentina out of TRC but it would be great if in this next of the woods 2 more top teams could come in to create more of these sort of nights (for rugby's appeal). Often Arg and SA and both travel here and you get those games but more often doesn't work out right.
Obviously a long way off but USA and Japan are the obvious two. First thing we need to do is get Eddie Jones kicked out of Japan so they can start improving again and then get a couple of US teams in SRP (even if one its just a US based and augmented Jaguares).
It will start off the whole conferences are crap debate again (which I will continue to argue vehemently against), but imagine a 6 team Pacific conference, Tokyo Sunwolves (drafted from Tokyo JRLO teams), Tokyo All Stars (made up of best remaining foreign players and overseas drafts), ALL Nihon (best of local non Tokyo based talent, inc China/Korea etc, with mainland Japan), a could of West Coast american franchises and perhaps a second self PI driven Hawai'i based team, or Jagaures. So I see a short NFL like 3 or 4 month comp as fitting best, maybe not even a full round, NZvAUSvPAC, all games taking place within a 6hr window. Model for NZ will definitely still require a competitive and funded NPC!
On the Crusaders, I liked last years ending with Grace on the bench (ovbiously form dependent but thats how it ended) and Lio-Willie at 8. I could have Blackadder trying to be a 7 but think balance will be used with him at 6 and Kellow as 7. Scott Barrett is an international 6 sized player. It is just NZ style/model that pushes him into the tight, I reckon he'd be a great loose player, and saders have Strange and Cahill as bigger players (plus that change could draw someone like Darry back). Same with Haig now, hes not grown yet but Barrett hight and been playing 6, now that the Highlanders have only chosen two locks he'll be playing lock, and that is going to change his growth trajectory massively, rather than seeing him grow like an International 6.
Go to commentsDan Carter is the leading points scorer and leading points per game person for a player with significant tests. 2s RWC winner and member of the games greatest ever team. It's not even close. The only question of GOAT for rugby is whether McCaw deserves it given Carter's numbers.
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