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Exeter’s European hopes dashed as dominant La Rochelle set up repeat final

By PA
BORDEAUX, FRANCE - APRIL 30: Henry Slade of Exeter Chiefs looks dejected after the team's defeat in the Heineken Champions Cup Semi Finals match between La Rochelle and Exeter Chiefs at Stade Matmut Atlantique on April 30, 2023 in Bordeaux, France. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Defending Heineken Champions Cup holders La Rochelle set up a repeat of last year’s final against Leinster with a 47-28 victory over Exeter in Bordeaux.

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Exeter were hoping to give a host of stalwart players leaving the club at the end of the season a perfect send-off by reaching the May 20 final in Dublin.

But they came up against a quality outfit who crossed for seven tries, with the Chiefs scoring three late touchdowns to make it appear a much more respectable scoreline.

Exeter asked all the questions in the early stages in front of a sell-out 41,000 crowd as they looked to counter La Rochelle’s usual fast start, and they were rewarded with an early try.

The Chiefs worked a training ground move from a tap penalty and France-bound Sam Simmonds forced his way over, with brother Joe Simmonds adding the extras.

It was just the start Exeter wanted, but La Rochelle delivered an instant riposte.

Initial good work by captain Gregory Alldritt led to fly-half Antoine Hastoy chipping the ball over the Chiefs defence for South African winger Raymond Rhule to hack the ball on and dot down in the corner, with Hastoy converting to level it all up at 7-7.

The hosts lost influential flanker Levani Botia to a leg injury at the midway point of the half, but they were celebrating their second try moments later.

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A period of pressure on the Exeter line saw Alldritt beautifully craft a gap for centre UJ Seuteni to waltz through and score beside the posts, and a simple Hastoy conversion gave La Rochelle a seven-point lead.

Just prior to the half-hour mark, Alldritt had a try ruled out by the Television Match Official for a neck roll, but the Chiefs then suffered a damaging couple of minutes.

First, Scotland international lock Jonny Gray had to be carried off the field with a left ankle injury, and after La Rochelle had kicked a penalty to the corner, hooker Dan Frost was sin-binned by referee Jaco Peyper for pulling down a driving maul.

Alldritt attacked the blindside off the back of a five-metre scrum to get his side’s third try soon after.

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And right on the stroke of half-time, La Rochelle showed their class in attack once again when a superb handling move involving backs and forwards made the most of their one-man advantage and it was finished off behind the posts by Kiwi scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow.

Hastoy slotted the simple conversion and Chiefs were left with a huge mountain to climb after the break at 29-7 down.

The French onslaught continued straight after the interval, and despite the Chiefs being back to full strength, Hastoy’s delicate cross-field kick picked out Rhule to step inside the defender and grab his second try of the game.

Hooker Pierre Bourgarit added a sixth touchdown from a driving maul, before Chiefs responded with a try by replacement prop Josh Iosefa-Scott after Sam Simmonds had been tap tackled just short of the line.

Kerr-Barlow grabbed his second try before Exeter’s Olly Woodburn and Jack Yeandle provided late scores for the beaten Chiefs.

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Jon 1 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 4 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

15 Go to comments
A
Adrian 6 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 9 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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