Five-try La Rochelle blitz Bristol as O'Gara's side edge above Leinster atop Pool 2
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Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle roared to a bonus-point victory over Bristol Bears to move ahead of Leinster by the slimmest possible margin in Pool 2 of the Investec Champions Cup.
Bidding to regain the trophy they won back-to-back in 2022 and 2023, La Rochelle made it two pool stage wins from two with an emphatic victory over their English visitors on Saturday night.
Tries from Jack Nowell, Levani Botia, Tolu Latu, UJ Seuteni and Thomas Berjon were more than enough against an outclassed Bears side that failed to score in the second half, Jack Bates' try shortly before the interval their only impression on the scoreboard.
O'Gara's side opened the campaign with victory in Bath last weekend and put the foot on the gas in the second half on home turf, turning a 14-7 interval advantage into an emphatic victory. Saturday's five-point haul moved them level with Leo Cullen's men on nine points. However La Rochelle now boast a point difference of +31, one clear of Leinster on +31.
The fierce rivals will face one another at Stade Marcel Deflandre in Round 3 in January, a mouth-watering clash which will go a long way to deciding who tops the pool.
Nowell, Latu, Botia, Seuteni, Berjon. West 5.
Bates. Worsley.
Leyds, Nowell, Seuteni, Danty, Thomas, West, Kerr Barlow, Wardi, Latu, Atonio, Douglas, Skelton, Jegou, Haddad, Alldritt. Botia for Wardi (47), Colombe for Latu (54), Dillane for Atonio (54), Favre for Douglas (51). Lespiaucq-Brettes, Penverne, Cancoriet, Berjon.
Bristol: Elizalde, Bates, Ravouvou, Janse Van Rensburg, Ibitoye, Worsley, Randall, Genge, Oghre, Chawatama, Luatua, Owen, S. Grondona, Heenan, Mata. Thacker for Elizalde (59), Lane for Randall (62), Marmion for Genge (63), B. Grondona for Oghre (55). Woolmore, Lahiff, Hodgson, J. Jenkins. Sin Bin: Oghre (3).
Chris Busby (IRFU).