Ronan O’Gara enjoyed plenty of wet and wild rugby nights during his playing days with Munster and this sodden contest would have stirred some fond memories. There was more than a hint of old-school Irish dog in the way his La Rochelle side took an early forward grip on a filthy evening and built a sufficiently big lead to insulate them from a concerted Bath fightback.
As the opening salvo to the new Champions Cup season it was also a thought-provoking one for English onlookers. Bath sit top of the Premiership table and were widely seen as powerful contenders in Pool 2. Here was a reminder that gigantic French Top 14 packs take a good deal of knocking over when they have a point to prove.
