Top 14: Stade Rochelais, a stable project to continue reaching the summits

There are days when we look gloomy. Even if in this city of 75,000 inhabitants bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, the passion for rugby has been lived peacefully for a decade. Last Saturday, the Stade Rochelais players took a beating in Dublin, in the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup, against Leinster (40-13). A heavy setback which signifies the end of the course of the Rochelais, who have had three finals in three years in the biggest European competition. In 2021, on the eve of the first Champions Cup final against Stade Toulousain, La Rochelle club legend Jean-Pierre Elissalde told Le Figaro that “from now on, they could look the Toulouse people in the eyes”. Stade Rochelais finally gave in, facing its Toulouse rival (17-22). But the former player and coach of the club was right, La Rochelle has made a name for itself on the European scene by winning the last two editions of the Champions Cup, in addition to now being among the best teams in the championship.

A sort of realization of a project launched in Pro D2, at the beginning of the 2010s. But today, La Rochelle is getting back into the tough, but calmly. With a well-considered workforce between longevity, youth and opportunities. When we think of the Caravelle club, we think of the veterans, who have experienced everything, from the second level to European success, like Uini Antonio (34 years old), who became the right pillar of the France team or the tireless Fijian Levani Botia (35 years old). In addition to knowing how to keep its executives, La Rochelle can no longer do without its young recruits, who were there at the start of the rise. Like Grégory Aldritt, who arrived in 2016 from Auch, and took on the dimension we know today, then Pierre Bourgarit, who also knew how to do well in the club and then in the selection.

Since 2021, La Rochelle has left more room for its training and has integrated more young people into its workforce. During this 2023-2024 financial year, 19 young people from the training center completed the group. This is three times more than two and a half years ago (6 in 2021). We are thinking in particular of the young 21-year-old left pillar, Louis Panverne (12 games this season), starter against Leinster last Saturday. La Rochelle has changed dimension, but tries not to forget its identity. After 13 seasons in Yellow and Black, Romain Sazy hangs up his boots in 2023 and joins the Espoirs staff as forwards coach. A great pick for the young people of La Rochelle, who rub shoulders every day with a legend of the club who has known everything with Stade Rochelais.

In addition to training well, the leaders of the double reigning European champion know how to highlight their attractiveness to recruit young French people in shape or lacking playing time. They went to look for Georges-Henri Colombes (26 years old) at Racing, Antoine Hastoy (26 years old) in Pau or Judicaël Cancoriet (27 years old) at ASM Clermont. Added to this are the experienced Teddy Thomas (30 years old), Teddy Iribarren (33 years old) and the Englishman Jack Nowell (31 years old). A gentle, thoughtful blend of training, opportunities and experience. A symbol of La Rochelle's progress, the club was the third club in the Top 14 to give the most players to the selections (11) during the 2023 World Cup compared to only 3 players in 2019, during the last edition. Seven Maritimes (Alldritt, Atonio, Boudehent, Bourgarit, Danty, Hastoy and Wardi) were called up with the XV of France this year compared to only one (Aldritt), four years earlier.

A stable project which also requires rigor. What better way to stay on the straight and narrow than Irishman Ronan O’Gara. The former fly-half and scorer for the XV du Trèfle is having his first real coaching experience with Stade Rochelais. Defense coach for Racing 92 (2013-2017), he returned to France in 2019 after a successful stint as backs coach at the Crusaders in New Zealand. He supported Jonno Gibbes for two years, before becoming general manager of the La Rochelle club. In 2022, he extended his contract until 2017 and said he “loves his group” and “appreciates the change in status of his people which he saw as a start”. It must be said that the coach arrived in the project he needed to bring his experience. La Rochelle's game is still as attractive and appreciated, but above all the former Munster player arrived with his thirst to win which has done so much good for the Rochelais. “If you accept defeat, you are a loser. I hope my DNA doesn’t say that about me,” O’Gara told Ouest France, in April 2022.

The latter took his team to a new level mentally by often telling them that they were capable of winning any trophy. In just a few seasons, he has transformed into a true leader. He does not hesitate to show his character to praise his players, but also to present them with a fait accompli. “I think they looked more at real estate in La Rochelle and Île de Ré than at training. When you do that, why be disappointed? It questions what we want in life: to be rich with apartments or houses, or rich with medals?”, he said after a defeat against Lyon (28-17), in February 2024.

This season, the Rochelais are fifth in the regular season with six days remaining and should qualify for the play-offs for the final stages of the Top 14. However, we must not relax our efforts with a daunting schedule until the last day. Pèle mixes: a trip to UBB, another to Stade Toulousain as well as the reception of Pau and Racing 92 and a crucial trip to Castres, from this Saturday (3 p.m.). An obstacle course to try to get the title they are missing: the Shield of Brennus.

“We learned to win, it took us time to do it. The corollary is to learn that we will not win every year,” said the club’s general director Pierre Venayre, to L’Équipe, during an interview at the end of 2023. As proven by its Marcel-Deflandre stadium , expanded by 700 places at the start of the season, Stade Rochelais is moving forward step by step, in search of stability at the high level, without thinking of going too quickly. But we must move forward. The club had planned to share its “Horizon 2030” project in October 2023, but no trace yet today. During this interview, some clues were given by the CEO of the French vice-champion: “We are going to focus on communication, marketing. We also have room for improvement around the use of our stadium. We are efficient in its use on match days, but we must become efficient when it is not used, when hosting companies, seminars..."