Ronan O'Gara won the European title last year with La Rochelle. He joined Leo Cullen (Leinster) and Ugo Mola (Toulouse) in the brotherhood of Champions Cup winners as a player and then as a coach.
Stade Rochelais will play its third continental final in a row, a small tour de force only achieved by two teams in Europe: Stade Toulousain (between 2003 and 2005, two titles) and RC Toulon (treble between 2013 and 2015).