La Rochelle vs Munster Rugby Preview
Munster travel to France to face La Rochelle in a Round of 16 clash in the Champions Cup on April 5th at 5:30 pm. Both teams won two and lost two in their group stage campaign, but La Rochelle’s superior finish in their pool has handed them the home advantage here.
Neither side has been impressive in their respective league this season, and this looks like a gritty game on paper. Can Munster grind out a win against the out-of-form Frenchmen, or will La Rochelle topple the Red Army to end their winless streak?
La Rochelle vs Munster Rugby Predictions
Score prediction: La Rochelle 21-17 Munster
One of our best rugby predictions is for La Rochelle to win this Champions Cup round of 16 tie. This is a tricky game to predict, with both sides being inconsistent in their respective leagues this season. La Rochelle is 10th in the Top 14 with a record of 8-1-11, while Munster is fifth in the United Rugby Championship but with an unspectacular 7-7 record.
The French side is winless in eight games but has welcomed back some key players from Six Nations duty. The biggest difference maker here, though, is the home advantage for Les Maritimes. Munster have won just three of their 12 away games this season and only one outside Ireland.
La Rochelle will impose themselves physically on Munster from the outset. Their pack, which includes the likes of Grégory Alldritt, Uini Atonio, and Romain Sazy, provides both brute strength and the ability to win key set-piece situations. Expect La Rochelle to look to dominate the scrum and use their maul to break down Munster’s defence.
However, Munster has been excellent on lineouts with a 100% winning record in the competition. The battle in the set pieces will be tight. Munster will have to dominate and use them as a platform for their attacks. That is far easier said than done against a brilliantly physical La Rochelle side. Neither team has been great at scoring points in their respective leagues and must capitalise on set pieces.
La Rochelle is excellent at turning the momentum in their favour in an instant. Only one team has won more than its 41 turnovers in the tournament so far. Their ability to force errors on attackers and win the ball up high will be integral to their attacking efforts here. Jack Nowell will be crucial. He has won two turnovers in the competition so far and has beaten more defenders than any other player.
Munster’s approach will be based on discipline, territory, and a solid defensive setup. Their strength lies in their ability to grind out results, and they will aim to disrupt La Rochelle’s attack with their defensive prowess. Munster’s back row, led by two of the best Irish rugby players, Peter O’Mahony and Tadhg Beirne, will need to be on top form to slow down La Rochelle at the breakdown and stop the French side from getting quick ball.
The battle for territory in the kicking game could be the decider here. In the backline, Ihaia West’s kicking game will be essential in taking advantage of territory for La Rochelle. Conor Murray will be the player trying to pin La Rochelle back with his kicking for Munster. La Rochelle is the more prolific for kicking between these sides and that will be important at Stade Marcel Deflandre.
Players To Watch
- Grégory Alldritt (Number 8, La Rochelle): Gregory Aldritt is one of the best Number 8s in the world. Alldritt’s ability to carry the ball and make crucial tackles in the breakdown will be vital in setting the tone for La Rochelle’s physicality. Alldritt rarely loses a collision and the former European Rugby Player of the Year will be integral for Les Maritimes in this game.
- Conor Murray (Scrum-Half, Munster): Veteran scrum-half Conor Murray is still an integral cog in the wheel for Munster. He will be key to their defensive structure and in the kicking game. In a game where Munster could struggle to gain territory, Conor Murray will be vital.
La Rochelle vs Munster Rugby Betting Tips
- Full-Time Result – Munster to win: This game is probably tighter than the odds indicate. La Rochelle are the 3/10 favourites with our online betting site but they enter this game without a win in eight. They should recover here, but confidence looks low at Stade Marcel-Deflandre. While our prediction is for La Rochelle to win, there is better value in a bet on Munster here. Their away record is poor, and La Rochelle has an excellent team, but they could take advantage of an out-of-form side that lacks confidence. Backing Munster to win is worth 12/5.
- Handicap – Munster +8.5: The handicap betting line is 8.5 for this game. Munster have not lost by a margin wider than six points in their last six games. La Rochelle has not won by nine points or more since December. We think this game will be tight and like a bet on Munster to cover the spread, worth 4/5 for anyone betting on the Champions Cup.
- Winning Margin – La Rochelle by 1-7 points: We think this is the best way to bet on La Rochelle in this game. The French side should win this game, but a bet on the match result isn’t good value, and the handicap looks too far out. They will keep things tight at the back and steal points to edge out the Red Army. The most likely and profitable bet for this game is to back Les Maritimes to win by 1-7 points, worth 13/5.
La Rochelle vs Munster Rugby Head-To-Head and Key Stats
This will be the first competitive clash between these sides, having never met in European action before. Munster have travelled to France once in the competition so far. They met Castres Olympique in December in their first away game of the Champions Cup. The Red Army battled well but lost 16-14 in a tightly contested game.
La Rochelle welcomed one other URC club to Stade Marcel Deflandre this season when Leinster travelled in January. A near-identical game saw Les Maritimes battle hard against an excellent Leinster side but ultimately fall to a 16-14 defeat. Munster and La Rochelle both finished their group stage campaign with two wins and two losses. The Red Army finished with four bonus points to La Rochelle’s three.
Munster last played on March 29th when they travelled to Castlebar to face Connacht. Munster held on to earn a crucial 30-24 victory in a tense United Rugby Championship clash. Despite playing with 14 men most of the match, Munster produced a disciplined performance. Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Tom Aherm, and Diarmuid Barron crossed for Munster, while Sean Jansen scored twice for Connacht, with additional tries from Caolin Blade and Josh Ioane.
Munster took an early lead, with Crowley’s kicking and Ahern’s try putting them 15-5 up. Connacht’s hopes were boosted when Alex Nankivell was sent off, but Munster continued to dominate, extending their lead to 30-12 by the 59th minute with tries from Casey, Crowley, and Barron. Connacht fought back late, with Jansen and Ioane scoring, but Munster held firm. Munster defended stoutly before Connacht’s late try was disallowed for a ruck infringement. The win put Munster back into the play-offs.
La Rochelle also played on March 29th, travelling to face Clermont. They stumbled to a seventh successive defeat, losing 33-19. A frustrating evening saw Ronan O’Gara’s side give up a lead as Clermont came from behind to steal the win. La Rochelle led 14-6 after 25 minutes, with tries from Teddy Thomas and Hoani Bosmorin. Poor discipline allowed Clermont to stay in the game. The hosts scored four tries in 25 minutes on either side of half-time.
La Rochelle had chances to extend their lead but were denied by a forward pass and a knock-on. With the sin-binning of Levani Botia, Clermont had a numerical advantage and capitalised. That extended the French club’s winless streak to eight games.
La Rochelle Key Stats
La Rochelle had an excellent start to the season but tailed off since the new year. They won six of their first nine games and looked in good standing heading into the new year. However, they lost the likes of Gregory Alldritt and Uini Atonio during the Six Nations and their form took a hit.
- 41 turnovers won in the Champions Cup (2nd best)
- 109 defenders beaten (Joint 3rd best in Champions Cup)
- 80% tackle success (Joint 3rd in Champions Cup)
- 434 points scored (2nd lowest in Top 14)
- Jack Nowell has beaten 21 defenders in the Champions Cup (1st in competition)
- Grégory Alldritt has won eight turnovers in the Champions Cup (Joint 2nd best in competition)
Munster Key Stats
Munster have been inconsistent throughout the season, struggling to piece together a good run of form. They currently sit in the play-off places in the URC, but their place in the knockout stages may go down to the wire.
- 5893 metres gained (2nd best in URC)
- 56 kicks retained (3rd best in URC)
- 53 tries scored (3rd best in URC)
- 94% lineout success (1st in Champions Cup)
- 80% tackle success (Joint 3rd in Champions Cup)
- 688 passes made (1st in Champions Cup)
