La Rochelle offers itself a half.
The Yellow and Black defeated the English club of Sale this Saturday, behind closed doors in their Marcel-Deflandre stadium, in the quarter-final of the European Rugby Cup.
All that was missing was the public for the party to be complete for the Rochelais, who won this shock with authority thanks to a perfect second half.
Some supporters set the tone by singing the Marseillaise in front of the stadium before kick-off.
Then, in the stands, the handful of authorized club members did not hesitate to give their voice to celebrate this historic qualification.
The highlight: La Rochelle in two stages
The
Maritimes struggled to get up to speed.
Penalized several times at the start of the match, imprecise in the game at the foot of West and Dulin, Jono Gibbes' players suffered the onslaught of the English, led by Faf De Klerk, elusive.
Pass in the back five meters from the in-goal, dismissal recovered in the air despite his meter seventy: the South African world champion hurt.
Fortunately, the scrum and the La Rochelle defense were present.
The two teams remained neck and neck with two successful penalties on each side (6-6, 27th).
Until the first La Rochelle reaction and this good try from Grégory Alldritt at the half hour mark. Dulin and Alldritt, the Blues back in the starting XV of La Rochelle after the Six Nations, gave each other the word.
The first sprang under a high ball, Doumayrou recovers and, after a bright pass to Iahia West's foot, his New Zealand compatriot Victor Vito makes the difference and finds Alldritt for the test.
We even think the break was made on a stroke of fate: the Rochelais winger Dillyn Leyds intercepted a pass from Faf De Klerk, at the limit of the forward, and spun into the in-goal.
But La Rochelle's indiscipline has reset the counters to zero.
After another penalty, Sale returns to the maritime camp and plants a try after several playing times by center Sam James.
Ronan O'Gara, assistant coach of the yellows and blacks, may well shout "discipline!"
"To his troops, La Rochelle finds himself in front of only two points at half-time (18-16).
Second La Rochelle reaction to the return of the locker room, and what a reaction: winger Raymond Ruhle comes like an arrow inside West before scoring after a nice pass fake (25-16, 42nd).
Grilled by his vis-à-vis on the English test at the end of the first period, the South African caught up well.
And put it back in stride with a double, well served by Doumayrou.
The former Stade Français, sharp, then signs two new tests after magnificent sequences.
The party was complete.
The player: Dulin signs his return
“He had been smiling all week,” his coach Jono Gibbes said before the match.
Brice Dulin found the field after having blown last week at the end of a busy Six Nations Tournament.
At first imprecise (too long kicking, 18th), put under pressure, Brice Dulin then found the rhythm, and his level of the Tournament, wisely alternating kicking and a few well-felt raises.
His pass to the foot to shift Ruhle on the first test of Doumayrou is a marvel.
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The number: 3
The number of French clubs in the European Cup semi-finals.
It's almost a full box.
Besides La Rochelle, two other French clubs will qualify, since two Franco-French shocks (Bordeaux-Racing 92 and Clermont-Toulouse) are scheduled for tomorrow.
The third quarter opposes this Saturday at 6.30 p.m. Exeter to Leinster.
The draw for the semi-finals, scheduled for the weekend of April 30 and May 1, is expected tomorrow at 6 p.m.
The match sheet
La Rochelle - Sale 45-21 (18-16)
La Rochelle:
6 tries (Alldritt 30th, Leyds 36th, Rhule 42nd, 52nd, Doumayrou, 62nd, 70th), 3 conversions (West 37th, 43rd, 63rd), 3 penalties (West 11th, 22nd, 66th)
Sale:
2 tries (James 42nd, McGuigan, 78th), 1 transformation (MacGinty, 43rd), 3 penalties (MacGinty, 10th, 28th, 34th)
Referee: A. Brace (Irl)
La Rochelle:
Dulin - Leyds, Doumayrou (Favre, 70th), Botia (Aguillon, 66th), Rhule - (o) West, (m) Kerr-Barlow (Berjon, 72nd) - Gourdon (Liebenberg 63rd), Vito, Alldritt - Skelton, Sazy (cap.) (Lavault, 66th) - Atonio (Joly, 55th), Bourgarit (Bosch, 70th), Wardi (Priso, 55th).
Sale:
Hammersley - McGuigan, James, Janse van Rensburg (Du Preez, 54th), Yarde (James, 65th) - (o) MacGinty, (m) De Klerk (Quirke, 54th) - T. Curry, D. du Preez, J.-L. du Preez - Beaumont (cap.), Wiese - John (Oosthuizen, 48th), A. van der Merwe (Lagdon, 55th), Rodd (Harrison 48th)