Shaken, La Rochelle got the better of Saracens to win (24-10) and complete the Champions Cup semi-finals.
The defending champion won a fourteenth victory in a row in the competition and will receive another English club, Exeter, at the Matmut Atlantique in Bordeaux to try to reach the final.
Probably stung by the harsh words of Ronan O'Gara after the ups and downs victory against Gloucester (29-26), the Rochelais attacked the meeting with the firm will to leave nothing to the triple winner of the Champions Cup (2016, 2017 and 2019).
Within six minutes, the scratchers in yellow had already collected four penalties and Hastoy had already passed two penalties.
The same evils seen as the weekend have returned: an inability to chain playing times, with many dross.
For their first visit to Marcel-Déflandre, the Sarries tried to set the pace in order to avoid the big scratchers from La Rochelle.
The local defensive line sometimes found itself in difficulty.
So, a symbol of the La Rochelle house appeared.
Ubiquitous Botia
Less prominent in recent months, Levani Botia was the man of this meeting with many decisive scratches, and a flawless activity which put an end to several opposing offensives (24th, 26th, 28th, 44th).
Abused, the caravel club relied on its forwards on its first foray into the opposing 22 meters, via Skelton and Wardi, to win the line of advantage.
Then, on a double with Alldritt, Kerr-Barlow took advantage of a space to score the first try of his people (16-3, 35th).
The fourth French team to lift the Champions Cup proved to be clinical after repelling several English waves, and dug a definitive gap on a sharp interval catch from… Botia.
The Fijian accelerated before serving Kerr-Barlow, the New Zealand scrum half offering himself a double at the same time (57th).
The strong try of the London pillar Mawi (65th), in confusion, did not waver the Maritimes, in place and more solid in key moments.
The yellow cards inflicted on Dulin (72nd) and Woolstencroft (77th) were anecdotal, before the explosion of Marcel-Déflandre for the 14th consecutive victory in the competition.
Ronan O'Gara's men have an appointment with another English club, Exeter, on the lawn of Matmut Atlantique in Bordeaux, during the weekend of April 29.
For its part, the Chiefs eliminated the South Africans of the Stormers (42-17).
The second semi-final will feature Leinster at Stade Toulousain, Dublin.
