O'Gara-less La Rochelle batter Northampton Saints

Reigning champions La Rochelle showed they are in no mood to release their grip on the Heineken Champions Cup as they put Northampton to the sword at Stade Marcel Deflandre.

Even without head coach Ronan O’Gara, serving a 10-week touchline ban, in their dug out, they stuck to their ruthless game plan and plundered their four-try bonus point before the first half had ended. That made it 32-0 at the break and they added two more tries early in the second half to extend their lead to 46.

Northampton’s only points came in the final 10 minutes and against 14 men, with tries from James Ramm and Matt Proctor while La Rochelle flanker Thomas Lavault was in the sin bin.

The assault on the Saints began as early as the third minute as French full-back Brice Dulin kicked through in the 22 and harassed Tom James into coughing up ball to bag the first try. That one was not converted by Antoine Hastoy, but he landed his next seven kicks in a row.

The first of those successes were penalties in the 10th and 13th minutes before he converted a flurry of tries from hooker Pierre Bourgarit and wings Pierre Boudehent and Dillyn Leyds to further reward the champions’ relentless attacking approach.

Saints had little or no answer in the opening 40 minutes against a side parading nine players from the starting XV in last season’s final. There was no let-up, either, in the second half.

It took a mere four minutes for La Rochelle to conjure up their fifth try. England scrum-half Alex Mitchell, a replacement for Northampton at half-time, had a box kick charged down by opposite number Tawera Kerr-Barlow and the ball bounced straight up into the arms of number eight Gregory Aldritt, who raced 20 metres to score.

Five minutes later UJ Seuteni ran in try number six and Hastoy’s conversion made it 46-0 with 30 minutes still to play.

At that stage the odds were on a record beating for the visitors, but they got stronger as they emptied their bench and La Rochelle got weaker up front as they brought on their players.

England captain Courtney Lawes came on in the 50th minute to make his first appearance since suffering concussion in the game against Leicester in September and he lasted the pace well.

There was a late flourish from his side as they managed to break their duck, Ramm scoring the first out on the right wing before Proctor crossed at the posts and Fin Smith converted.