‘La Rochelle have the edge mentally’ – Luke Fitzgerald gives his verdict on Leinster’s Champions Cup showdown

Ronan O’Gara has masterminded three consecutive European wins over Leinster, with La Rochelle triumphing in the 2021 Champions Cup semi-final as well as the last two deciders.

A last-gasp try saw the French side win the 2022 tournament in Marseille while Leinster blew a 17-0 first-quarter lead in last year’s final in the Aviva Stadium as La Rochelle came out on top again.

This time around, start the pool stage with a mouth-watering clash in the Stade Marcel Deflandre and it is set to be another memorable affair.

While Leinster will be keen to finally get over the line against O’Gara’s side, Fitzgerald thinks the back-to-back European champions will be too strong on home soil.

“I don’t think Leinster will win, I think La Rochelle have their number a bit,” Fitzgerald said on The Left Wing podcast.

"I know La Rochelle haven’t got off to a great start in the league but Leinster haven’t got off to a great start either. The big guns are coming back for Leinster but I think this match is still unbelievably tight between both teams.

"I think La Rochelle have an edge mentally over Leinster. Leinster were wound so tight in the final against La Rochelle. They couldn’t have got off to a better start but they emptied the tank in the opening 25 minutes.

"Leinster are still a bit leaky defensively and I don’t think they know what to do with their bench. I think La Rochelle are built perfectly to foil Leinster and my mind hasn’t changed on that one. I nearly feel Leinster need to avoid La Rochelle to win the Champions Cup. Can Leinster deal with the weight of that pack? I haven’t seen the evidence that they can. And they’ve lost their heads against them a couple of times in a row.

"I see La Rochelle rising to the occasion at home this weekend and edging it.”

One variable this season for Leinster compared to other years is the arrival of double World Cup-winning coach Jacques Nienaber. The ex-Springbok coach only recently arrived in Dublin so while his impact may not be entirely felt on Sunday, Fitzgerald thinks that come the end of the season, Leinster could be primed to win back the European Cup.

“I think Leinster can still win the tournament if they lose – and they might need to do that,” Fitzgerald added.

"That might be the thing that spurs them on, that they have to go the tricky route. The reason I think Leinster can lose and win the competition later in the season is because if Jacques Nienaber has the impact we think he can on the defence, he could turn things around for them there but he hasn’t had much time now.”