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Recap: La Rochelle vs Sale Sharks | Heineken Champions Cup
By RugbyPass
Follow all the action from the Heineken Champions Cup match between La Rochelle and Sale Sharks at Stade Marcel Deflandre with live commentary, stats, scores, and more!
Keep up to date with the latest score, stats and join the conversation from anywhere in the world in our Live Match Centre (click here).
This fixture is a rematch of last season’s Challenge Cup semi-final where the hosts narrowly came out on top before falling to Clermont in the final.
Jono Gibbes has decided to start 22-year-old Tevita Railevu for the first time. Sale, meanwhile, have made 15 changes to the matchday 23 that ran in six tries against Harlequins last weekend in the Gallagher Premiership. Prop Ross Harrison is one of only six players to keep his place in the starting line-up.
LA ROCHELLE: 15. Jeremy Sinzelle; 14. Tevita Railevu, 13. Geoffrey Doumayrou, 12. Levani Botia, 11. Arthur Retiere; 10. Ihaia West, 9. Tawera Kerr Barlow, 1. Reda Wardi, 2. Pierre Bourgarit, 3. Sila Puafisi, 4. Thomas Lavault, 5. Rémi Leroux, 6. Kevin Gourdon (capt), 7. Wiaan Liebenberg, 8. Gregory Alldritt. Reps: 16. Brendan Lebrun, 17. Mike Corbel, 18. Uini Atonio, 19. Lopeti Timani, 20. Zeno Kieft, 21. Thomas Berjon, 22. Brock James, 23. Kini Murimurivalu.
SALE SHARKS: 15. Luke James; 14. Thomas Roebuck, 13. Sam James (capt), 12. James Williams, 11. Marland Yarde; 10. AJ MacGinty, 9. Will Cliff; 1. Ross Harrison, 2. Rob Webber, 3. Jake Cooper-Woolley, 4. Matthew Postlewaite, 5. James Phillips, 6. Jean-Luc du Preez, 7. Ben Curry, 8. Dan du Preez. Reps: 16. Curtis Langdon, 17. Valery Morozov, 18. Callum Ford, 19. Sam Dugdale, 20. Cameron Neild, 21. Fergus Warr, 22. Joe Carpenter, 23. Chris Ashton.
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Latest Comments
i think Argentina v France could be a good game too, depending on which Argentina turns up. The most difficult to call is Scotland Australia.
Go to commentsSmith is playing a different game with the rest of the backs struggling to understand. That's the problem with so called playmakers, if nobody gets what they're doing then it often just leads to a turnover. It gets worse when Borthwick changes one of them, which is why they don't score points at the end. Sometimes having a brilliant playmaker can be problematic if a team cannot be built around them. Once again Borthwick seems lacking in either coaching or selection. I can't help but think it's the latter coupled with pressure to select the big name players.
Lastly, his forward replacements are poor and exposed either lack of depth or selection pressure. Cole hemorrhages scrum penalties whenever he comes on, opponents take advantage of the England scrum and close out the game. Is that the best England can offer?
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