Billy Vunipola hobbled away from Stade Marcel-Deflandre on crutches after injuring his knee midway through the first half of this bruising afternoon for Saracens on the Atlantic coast as the Premiership pacesetters limped out of the Champions Cup. The bludgeoning power of the champions ensured a home semi-final with Exeter in Bordeaux and the very real prospect of an all-French final in Dublin next month.
La Rochelle, with their monstrous pack, could not match the colour and panache that had helped Toulouse sweep the Sharks aside 24 hours earlier but they are an unstoppable force in this mood and at this stadium they have now won 11 successive matches in Europe. Two tries from La Rochelle’s All Blacks scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow were the difference between the sides but, in truth, the scoreline flattered Saracens.
