The maritime fans had a major role in the historic victory won this Saturday by the Stade Rochelais in the final of the European Cup at the Velodrome.
“They are just as European champions as we are.” With these words, the international number 8 Gregory Alldritt wanted to pay tribute to his supporters, deprived of European epic last season because of the pandemic and unwavering support at the Velodrome.
Those seem like easy, even demagogic, words, won’t they? Not so sure.
Because, in truth, the tens of thousands of supporters from La Rochelle can decently feel that they have contributed fully to their victory of theirs, to whom they have undoubtedly infused an extra soul.
“Even when we were in the rough, even when we were at least eight after the yellow card, they kept encouraging us, supporting us.
We heard twice the Marseillaise, “La Rochelle, La Rochelle,” for 80 minutes. It helps to reposition yourself and make extra efforts when you are in the red.
I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but the fact is that we played the action of victory in front of the corner where our supporters were the most numerous.
And I can tell you that behind us, it was pushing hard. For Leinster, the pressure was necessary all the harder to sustain.”
And Sexton cracked under pressure
Especially since this pressure affected even the most experienced players, thus, with a black gaze, Jonathan Sexton greeted an Irish colleague’s question about the Veldorome’s incandescent atmosphere, with the Leinster opener and captain replying with obvious bad faith that he had “not noticed.”
In a pig’s eye! It was indeed necessary to be blind not to have noticed that it was indeed the intense pressure of the public that contributed to a major turning point of the game, namely this ball touched by the winger O’Brien on the edge of the dead balls, which caused a return of goal rather than a scrum at the starting point of Dulin’s kick, 50 meters further.
The kind of action that would certainly have gone unnoticed at the Aviva Stadium, but not at the Velodrome, in front of the Rochelais bend, whose bronca prompted Wayne Barnes to take the time to analyze the action before judging his judge of touch.
The decision altered the course of the match since it was on the return of the goal that followed that Sexton committed the ball too much to the reception of a dropped ball by Dulin, being bitten by Berjon in his 22-meter area, then contest the ball by Bourgarit.
At the same time, he had plenty of time to clear his own… The most experienced opener on the world circuit cracked under the pressure of the Rochelais and their public before coming out, green with rage, from the 63rd minute.
We no longer understand anything about rugby if it is not to weigh on a meeting.
The advantage of playing at home – or almost – remains one of the great must-haves of this game, whether we have never seen a supporter score or not…
