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Grand Slam winner's son signs first pro deal with O'Gara's La Rochelle
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Sacha Élissalde, son of former Toulouse and France scrum-half Jean-Baptiste, has recently signed his first pro deal with Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle.
The 18-year-old’s deal was originally reported by French outlet Sud Ouest, but his addition to La Rochelle’s wider squad ahead of their Challenge Cup round of 16 tie with Newcastle Red Bulls effectively confirmed this deal.
The teenager had previously been part of the Toulouse and Montpellier academies, the two clubs his father has coached since retirement.
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The Élissalde name is one that La Rochelle are familiar with. Two of Sacha’s great-grandfathers represented the club, as did his grandfather, his great-uncle and Jean-Baptiste. The 35-cap France international was not only born in La Rochelle, but played over 100 matches for the club before his transfer to Toulouse, where he went on to win two Heineken Cups and two domestic titles, as well as two Six Nations titles, including a Grand Slam in 2004.
This is just Sacha’s second season at La Rochelle, where he has been part of their Espoirs (U21) squad alongside the son of France great Serge Betsen, Martin Betsen.
Though primarily a fly-half – a position his father flirted with despite predominantly being a scrum-half – Sacha lined up at inside centre in his most recent outing for the Espoirs, in a 38-27 victory over Bayonne on March 21.
Should he feature against the Red Bulls at Kingston Park on Saturday, he will have the added weight of knowing the competition is perhaps La Rochelle’s only chance to salvage a disappointing season.
Following their loss to Bayonne at the weekend, O’Gara’s side sit in ninth place in the Top 14, seven points adrift of the top six who will qualify for the play-offs. As things stand, the double Investec Champions Cup winners are one place off the top eight that will qualify for Europe’s premier competition next season.
To make matters worse for the Atlantic club, the collateral damage from the defeat was brutal, with Will Skelton, Levani Botia and Davit Niniashvili suffering serious injuries, with initial fears that the Wallaby sustained an Achilles tendon rupture.
