Total change of scenery. In less than a week, Stade Rochelais went from downpours and freezing wind to the mildness of the southern summer. Beaten last Sunday by Leinster (9-16) at home in dire weather conditions, the reigning double European champions quickly headed to Cape Town, South Africa, for a capital shock on Saturday (2 p.m.) against the Stormers. A short week in the sun, on the other side of the globe, joined at the start of the week. “We had training Wednesday and Thursday morning. The conditions are excellent, the guys are happy to train like this in the sun,” underlines Romain Carmignani, the La Rochelle forwards coach.
If the La Rochelle group had time to discover the city and its surroundings, in particular to observe the superb view from the “Table Mountain” which overlooks the city, or to visit some good restaurants, they did not cross the globe to go sightseeing. La Rochelle saw, on Sunday, its record series of sixteen consecutive victories in Champions come to an abrupt end against the province of Dublin. This second match therefore promises to be crucial for the rest of the competition.
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For the occasion, Ronan O’Gara and his staff brought back the same 23 players. “We are all frustrated with this match. We are vengeful, continues Romain Carmignani. Everyone is good, we just want to play…” Reda Wardi, the international pillar, supports: “Losing at home should not be acceptable out of respect for our jersey and our public. We are upset, we are not trivializing this defeat.
The arrival of the reigning double European champion is a small event. And the Stormers, beaten from the start at Leicester, must also recover. With an unbeaten streak at home since joining the competition last year. “They have a real, very fast attacking game, with a lot of offensive qualities behind,” warns Dillyn Leyds, who knows the Cape Province well having played there between 2015 and 2020. And adds: “But they are also very strong in scrum, they showed it in the URC (United Rugby Championship, ex-Celtic League, Editor’s note). They have been preparing for a long time, they have been clear: this is THE big match for them.”
The South African winger from Stade Rochelais will have the chance to play in front of his family at the DHL Stadium. “They will be the only La Rochelle supporters in the stadium,” he jokes. When he arrived on his land, his family came to welcome him at the airport and everyone burst into tears, in front of the entire La Rochelle team. “His whole family was there, his parents and his family were crying. It’s obviously special for him,” says Romain Carmignani. For the rest, the South Africans made it clear to the Maritimes the importance of this second match.
During the setup at the Cape Town stadium, the Stade Rochelais players were able to see, on their return to the locker room, that the TVs were broadcasting… the last explosive quarter-final between the Blues and the South Africans. “It was average for our internationals, but it shows that there is a real rivalry. We are in the country of rugby, everyone wants to become a Springbok. The left pillar of the Blues, Reda Wardi, took it with humor: “They wanted to taunt us a little. I think the goal was to make us laugh, it was good-natured…”
It will surely be much less so on the ground. “They’re going to make us run a lot, it’s going to be very hot,” warns Romain Carmignani. They will try to move us around a lot, then we don’t know if they will be able to maintain the physical density. It will be a real test match!”