THE BLUES MUST BEAT THE BEAST

Van der Flier’s up for it

LA ROCHELLE are one of the heavy-metal rugby sides that deploy a tactical six forwards/two backs split on the bench.

The tactic has won the last two Champions Cups and the last two Rugby World Cup, although it is not quite clear how wedded Ronan O’Gara is to the concept, or whether he is just being pragmatic with his resources.

The French side’s current split reflects a simple fact, secondrow Will Skelton, a bruising 21-stone-plus wrecking ball with the ball in his hand is just too heavy to be lifted effectively and does not contest line-outs.

This leaves O’Gara in need of a back-row to take on a line-out role, using No 6 Judicael Cancoriet against Stormers where he won three line-outs before being directly replaced five minutes after the break by Paul Boudehent, who won a further two.

The French side won all 14 of their own throws, main line-out jumper Irish international Ultan Dillane and his sub Thomas Lavault won seven, Cancoriet/Boudehent won five, full-back Brice Dulin taking two long-throw trick-plays. Tidy work.

Given La Rochelle like to replace 35 year-old Levani Botia before the close or that France captain Gregory Alldritt may get injured or need resting, this needs a second, different type of back-row on the bench.

Last week, it was Yoan Tanga. Leinster will almost certainly match their French counterparts and use six-two, a system Leo Cullen isn’t overly happy with — not because he doesn’t have the right forwards, but because he doesn’t have a ‘double-halfback’, a player who can cover No 9 and No 10.

Need

Regretfully, the player Leinster most ‘need’ across Irish rugby, Nathan Doak, is playing for Ulster.

Indeed Doak’s transition from No 9 under Dan McFarland to No 10 under Richie Murphy is, as far as Andy Farrell is concerned, probably the single most exciting development in Irish rugby ahead of the tour to South Africa and with a view to RWC 2027.

“La Rochelle have incredible quality, really, throughout their team and especially in their back-row,” admits Ireland international back-row Josh van der Flier.

“If you think of a lot of their strengths, they are very good at close quarters physical battles, like maul, scrum and big ballcarriers running hard.

“Even looking at the game last weekend, they compete a lot at the breakdown, especially their back-row and Botia is probably the best of them at that, he’s incredible.

“They’ve quality and versatility throughout their whole team.

“They’ve good athletes, lineout, carrying, and obviously the breakdown as well, so it’s a big challenge.”

Leinster are hoping for fine weather, a dry track, little or no wind and a chance to move to ball away from La Rochelle’s close-quarters menace.

“I suppose if it’s pouring rain it definitely levels everyone out and it comes down more to tactics, playing field position right and then physicality, winning collisions and not giving momentum to the opposition is probably the key it comes down to.

“Hopefully, it’s not raining but it doesn’t bother me too much in the back-row.”

The fact this is the fourth knock-out meeting in four seasons and La Rochelle have beaten the Blues successively in the 2021 semi-final, 2022 final and 2023 final, is something the Irish club have been anxious not to dwell on.

There is an avoidance of suggesting there is a specific rivalry between the two, perhaps in deference to O’Gara who just seems better at the mind-games ahead of matches!

“They’ve been fully deserving,” says van der Flier of La Rochelle’s place at the top table.

“They obviously were the best team last year and the year before because they won it. They’ve set the standard that way so it’s exactly the way you’d want it.

“I was thinking back, if you are to win a tournament you always want to have played the best teams and be able to have beaten the best teams, so that’s the challenge this week.

Excited

“It’s great in that way and I think that’s the mentality with the rest of the lads as well. Everyone’s really excited and looking forward to the challenge.”

Van der Flier has reassured those who worried he took a particularly hefty knock against Bulls two weeks back when he crashed into the posts at the RDS after scoring, the damage was not serious.

“It was big enough crash, probably not ideal running into the post, it was a bit difficult for a few minutes afterwards.

“I got a bit of a bump on my knee but it was fine. Thankfully there’s pads on the posts, if they were the old school ones I could have been in trouble.”