This Saturday, at the start of the afternoon, Stade Rochelais lost a second consecutive match, in this 2023-2024 edition of the Champions Cup. Against the Stormers, the Maritimes lost 21-20. Leading the score throughout the match, they broke down at the very end of the match and a try from Venter, converted by Libbok, gave the South Africans victory.
Showered last week for its entry into the competition by Leinster to Marcel Deflandre (9-16), Stade Rochelais lost once again this Saturday afternoon in Cape Town. Opposed to the South African Stormers team, Ronan O’Gara’s team lost to the wire, 21-20. A defeat which puts the yellow and black in a more than uncomfortable position in the race to qualify for the final phase.
Under the Cape sun, in a partly empty stadium, La Rochelle got off to a very serious start to the match. Facing a rather messy Stormers team, Ronan O’Gara’s men got off to a good start in the game thanks to a penalty from Antoine Hastoy (0-3, 3rd), who punished a ground fault from the Stormers. Dominant at this start, the La Rochelle team quickly took the lead, since three minutes later, number nine Tawera Kerr Barlow scored the first try of the match (0-10, 7th). With this action, he concluded the great work of Pierre Bourgarit: after a touch in the South African 40 meters, the hooker broke several tackles and went back thirty meters, before serving “TKB”, present in support.
Bourgarit in good shape
The Stormers? Clumsy and uninspired, like this kicking game directly in touch by Manny Libbok (12th), they had a lot of difficulty creating danger in this first period. They also often played in their own camp (67% occupancy for La Rochelle in the 24th minute), but the Maritimes also experienced waste in their game. We keep in mind this penalty not found by Antoine Hastoy (30th) or this throw from Sacha Idoumi stolen by the opposing line-up (28th).
After half an hour of play, the Stormers wanted to insist up front, going into touch several times on penalties, but the sea wall resisted well. It was at the foot, thanks to a successful penalty by Manny Libbok after a scrum, that they unlocked their counter (3-10, 36th). Antoine Hastoy responded on the following action, thus rewarding a counter-ruck from Pierre Bourgarit (3-13, 37th), and at the siren, Libbok punished a ground fault from Will Skelton (6-13, 40th). +1e).
La Rochelle thought it had done the hardest part
Returning from the locker room, Libbok continued to reduce the gap in the score, following a tackle without the ball from Boudehent on Dweba (9-13, 44th), but again, Stade Rochelais reacted quickly. Indeed, almost immediately, after a pass to the foot of Antoine Hastoy and a messed up ball on reception, Dillyn Leyds progressed in the South African defense, before serving Yoan Tanga Mangene, who scored in the corner (9 -20, 47th).
It was on a foot pass, well caught by Ben Loader, better in the air than Brice Dulin, that the Stormers returned to the game (14-20, 52nd), and the match gradually lost as. The match became rather choppy, with numerous mistakes on both sides, which did not allow this duel to reach peaks of intensity. Antoine Hastoy missed a penalty in his ropes (61st), then a complicated drop (72nd), but he thought he would make up for it by scoring what could have been the winning try (76th). But after calling on the video, Christophe Ridley canceled it because of a header on a tackle by Joël Sclavi. The left-hander received a yellow card. The Stormers went into touch twice. The South African maul made the effort, and Venter dived into the goal. In the corner, Libbok did not tremble, and offered victory to his team after the siren (21-20).