O’Gara’s La Rochelle will be too stacked for Montpellier
THERE is no shortage of unfinished business for Ronan O’Gara and his La Rochelle side. The former Munster out-half watched on from the stands in Twickenham last season as his side – down to 14 men for the majority of the game after Levani Botia’s early red card – were defeated by Toulouse. To add further insult to injury, they were beaten by the same opposition in the Top14 final a few weeks later. This evening, they welcome Montpellier to Stade Marcel Deflandre for a European quarter-final. And the hosts will fancy their chances of booking their place in the last four. They are stacked across the park. O’Gara has former All Black backrower Victor Vito and France’s Grand Slamwinning No8 Gregory Alldritt at the front of a pack featuring France tighthead Uini Atonio. Tawera Kerr Barlow and Ihaia West are the fleet-footed halfback pairing who will try to get the wrecking-ball midfield duo of Botia and Les Bleus centre Jonathan Danty into the game.
Montpellier are best known here for sending a scratch outfit to the RDS in January and suffering an 89-7 mauling to Leinster in the pool stages. When they take this tournament seriously and send out their best team, they have the makings of a quality side. Any team with veteran hooker and former France captain Guilhem Guirado, flankers Fulgence Ouedraogo and Yacouba Camara as well as
Springbok No10 Handre Pollard demands respect. Still, you would fancy O’Gara’s outfit to book their place in the last four and a potential boxoffice clash with Racing 92. The visitors are very much the underdogs, but Guirado is relishing such a tag ahead of this trip to Atlantic Coast. ‘We approach this match without pressure compared to the fact that we will play away and that we have nothing to lose in this competition,’ the hooker added. ‘But we know it’s going to be a big meeting so we have to keep it to a minimum.’ Meanwhile, Scarlets have confirmed that Phil Bennett is battling illness, in response to online speculation about the Wales great’s health. The Llanelli-based team issued a short statement with an update on the 73-year-old former fly-half, who made a total of 37 Test appearances between 1969 and 1978, including eight Lions caps. ‘Our president Phil Bennett is unwell and being cared for by his family,’ the statement said. ‘Phil is battling like the true Scarlet he’s always been and our thoughts and prayers are with him.’