[ad_1]
Head coach Ronan O’Gara has urged Stade Rochelais to make the most of playing on French soil in tonight’s Heineken Champions Cup final.
La Rochelle take on Leinster Rugby at Marseille’s Stade Vélodrome as they bid for their maiden European trophy.
And O’Gara says they must seek every possible advantage against their more experienced opponents.
“I think it’s good it’s in France,” said O’Gara. “Obviously for people who follow soccer over here, there’s a lot of interest playing in the Velodrome.
“I’m sure there will be thousands and thousands and thousands of La Rochelle fans, that’s for certain.
More motivated than ever 👊@staderochelais’ Grégory Alldritt has been pumped for Saturday’s #HeinekenChampionsCup final since the win over Racing 92 💪
Relive the semi-final ➡️ https://t.co/Y5ubh718Y1 pic.twitter.com/oRrgdkFtvR
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) May 26, 2022
“It’s a fantastic stadium. I think it will be an unbelievable atmosphere.
“We have to try and make it into a home game.
“It obviously won’t be, but I think the great positive for us is that it is not at the Aviva.
“That’s where Leinster are a very different team and a very difficult team to beat.”
While this is La Rochelle’s biggest test of the season, O’Gara believes they are ready to step up again.
He said: “I think it’s fascinating. It will be a great game. It’s a team that’s starting to believe in itself here at Stade Rochelais, I genuinely believe that.
“I’m hoping we’ll be good enough for Saturday, but I know we’ll be better again. That gives me a lot of optimism.
“Of course, I am fascinated to see how we go against Leinster because they are humming.
“They have been churning out performances and spitting out the opposition easily, but you’re just hoping that maybe with the profiles we have that they will find it more difficult against us.”
Having faced Stade Toulousain in more subdued, Covid-affected conditions in last season’s final, O’Gara is predicting a classic high-octane European final this time.
#ThrowbackThursday to last season’s clash between Leinster & Stade Rochelais ⚔️@GregAlldritt helped the French side win the battle up front 💪
Same again in the #HeinekenChampionsCup Final or revenge for Leinster? 👀 pic.twitter.com/vTTWlWtvmH
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) May 26, 2022
He said: “I think the players are going to get a shock on Saturday to see what a real [Heineken] Champions Cup final is like.
“Last year in Twickenam, it was a fantastic stadium, a mythical stadium, a fantastic surface, but 5,000 people [are] lost. It just doesn’t do anything.
“Those were the times we lived in and we made the best of it, but now it’s going to be real on Saturday.
“It’s going to be heaving. It’s going to be hot. It’s going to be fast.
“There will be errors. There’s going to be bits of great skill.
“What you’re hoping is that the boys are going to have capacity to get the oxygen to the brain to be able to think faster than the boys in blue, but sometimes that’s wishful thinking from us in front of a laptop.”
- The game in Marseille kicks off at 16:45 (UK & Irish time) and will be available to watch on BT Sport, Channel 4, Virgin Media, beIN SPORTS, France 2 and Sky Italia.
[ad_2]
Source link
