La Rochelle 35 Bristol 7

Bristol’s dazzling brand of rugby has taken the Premiership by storm this season but on France’s Atlantic coast, in one of the country’s rugby citadels, the Bears came a cropper; stifled, overpowered and overawed.

La Rochelle, Champions Cup winners in 2022 and 2023, followed up their win in the first round of this year’s competition with a bonus-point victory at the jumping Stade Marcel-Deflandre, but for all of the hosts’ class in registering four tries it was the way in which they neutralised Bristol that was most impressive.

La Rochelle’s pack is full of behemoths and, up front, Bristol – who have now lost three of their past five matches across the Champions Cup and Premiership – were overwhelmed.

There was no lack of heart or conviction – indeed, the Bears maintained their willingness to attack from here, there and everywhere – but the visitors were never allowed to get going by one of the most bellicose and brutish packs in global club rugby, providing a sobering example of the difference between the riches in France and the Premiership clubs.

Will Skelton really enjoyed himself, hitting things and ensuring they stayed hit; Tolu Latu was a force of nature and at No 8 Grégory Alldritt remains class personified.

Behind them, Jonathan Danty was a phenom while Jack Nowell had one of his best matches in the Englishman’s adopted home. La Rochelle’s opening try, scored by Nowell, was a finish for the ages, with the wing getting on the end of an Ihaia West crossfield kick and diving like superman to remarkably ground the ball millimetres away from the in-goal whitewash. Nowell in his colourful Red Bull headguard; well, it does give you wings.

Bristol’s try came in not-dissimilar fashion, with a tale of two crossfield kicks developing in the match. Both scores featured two of the best finishes you might see in this and indeed any season.

After Nowell had given La Rochelle the lead, Bristol’s crossfield response came. Having earlier butchered a try-scoring opportunity of his own, Benjamin Elizalde set off on the counter. On halfway, the full-back kicked crossfield to Jack Bates who beat Dillyn Leyds in the air, escaped UJ Seuteni and stepped inside two other defenders to score a remarkable try.

With Bristol having been second-best in the first half – and having lost Gabriel Oghre to the sin-bin for a high shot on Tawera Kerr-Barlow – suddenly the Premiership entertainers trailed only by seven points at the break, with Tolu Latu having scored for the hosts from the back of a maul.

“Solid,” said Ronan O’Gara, the La Rochelle head coach. “We scored five tries and we could have had more. We need to get our phase-play ticking, but it will happen. Bristol made it difficult. They play a great brand of rugby. But we scored 35 points and we can score 70. We want to win Europe and we want to win the Top 14.”

The seven-point gap would last only fleetingly. Nowell had another score ruled out by a sublime double try-saving tackle from Joe Owen and Benhard Janse van Rensburg, but Levani Botia burrowed over to give the hosts daylight.

After a crazy counter ignited by an Oghre interception, La Rochelle’s scramble defence was magnificent, laying the foundations for their fourth – and bonus-point – score. UJ Seuteni blasted over after Skelton had peeled round the back of a line-out.

By the time Thomas Berjon was squirming his way over at the end, Bristol were well beaten.

After losses against Leinster and La Rochelle in the past seven days, the Bears will be looking forward to a return to the Premiership next weekend, back to their comfort zone and away from these European beasts.

Scoring sequence: 5-0 Nowell try, 7-0 West con, 12-0 Latu try, 14-0 West con, 14-5 Bates try, 14-7 Worsley con, 19-7 Botia try, 21-7 West con, 26-7 Seuteni try, 28-7 West con, 33-7 Berjon try, 35-7 West con.
H-T: 14-7

La Rochelle: D Leyds; J Nowell (Favre 51), UJ Seuteni, J Danty, T Thomas; I West, T Kerr-Barlow (Berjon 70); R Wardi (Penverne 48), T Latu (Lespiaucq 54), U Atonio (Colombe 54), K Douglas (Dillane 51), W Skelton (Cancoriet 66), O Jegou, M Haddad (Botia 45), G Alldritt (c).

Bristol Bears: B Elizalde (Lane 60); J Bates (Thacker 6, Oghre 14), K Ravouvou, B Janse van Rensburg (Jenkins 70), G Ibitoye; S Worsley, H Randall (Marmion 62); E Genge (Woolmore 63), G Oghre (Thacker 56), M Lahiff (Halliwell 66), S Luatua (c), J Owen, S Grondona (Hodgson 40), J Heenan, B Mata (B Grondona 56). Yellow card: Oghre 4

Referee: C Busby