Heartbreak for Leinster at the Stade Velodrome as their latest attempt to gain a fifth Champions Cup star ended in a devastating last-minute defeat.
Holding a four-point advantage coming into the closing stages, the Blues found themselves defending for their lives from the 72nd minute, as Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle pushed and pushed to score the try that would hand them a first-ever European crown.
What followed was a patient suffocation of the Blues, who coughed up penalty after penalty and scrum after scrum at the end of an engrossing, epic contest played out in hot conditions in Marseille.
And, after suffering defeat in last year's decider, the Top 14 side got their reward right at the death as replacement scrum-half Arthur Retiere reached for the line and got the ball onto it.
Ihaia West had the comfort of knowing he could wind down the clock before slotting over the conversion that he didn't need to score, given his side had a one-point lead and Leinster were out of time.
It was a tough end to an otherwise exceptional European campaign for Leo Cullen's players, but in La Rochelle they met their match, just as they did in last year's semi-final.
They were without Johnny Sexton in that game, among other frontliners, but the in-form captain had to make way in the 62nd minute this time as well.
Whether his presence to the end would have been enough for Leinster to hold out is doubtful.
As they had done against Leicester and Toulouse in the last two rounds, Leinster made a very strong start but blew the chance for a third-minute try.
Sexton kicked the first penalty of the game to the corner and the skipper himself made the wrong choice by running into heavy traffic close to the La Rochelle line, and was turned over.
Sexton did kick Leinster ahead in the fifth minute, then doubled it soon after Jimmy O'Brien's break down the right set up another opening that was unceremoniously shut down by Uini Atonio stepping offside.
But La Rochelle burst back into the contest, scoring off a devastating first attacking move for O'Gara's men in the 10th minute.
Hugo Keenan will kick himself for allowing winger Raymond Rhule to slide by on his inside and touch down for the game's first try. West confidently struck over the conversion for a 7-5 lead.
Adding to Leinster's anxiety, they were pulverised in the first scrum of the contest and, moments later, hooker Rónan Kelleher came off injured and was replaced by Dan Sheehan.
Bolstered by their breakthrough, La Rochelle were now asking big questions of the Blues' defence and targeting O'Brien's wing, but he did well to scramble Rhule into touch.
It was Leinster who scored next, in the 23rd minute and through a third Sexton penalty, after Wayne Barnes pinged Wiaan Liebenberg for accidental crossing.
Then Sexton released Robbie Henshaw into space but with men over on the left for the province, La Rochelle did well to slow the Blues' ruck ball and the chance was lost.
From the restart, Sexton's attempted drop-goal from distance was badly miss-hit. And Leinster found themselves clinging on in the minutes before half-time.
A neck roll on Andrew Porter by Bourdeau provided sweet relief for the Blues as their try line was threatened, then a knock-on for La Rochelle botched an overlap out wide.
To compound their frustration, Tadhg Furlong then produced a crucial scrum win against the head against Dany Priso and, moments later, it was La Rochelle who were facing a Leinster scrum on their own five-metre line.
Brice Dulin failed to deal with O'Brien's hopeful kick into the La Rochelle 22 and Leinster swarmed all over him, with Jamison Gibson-Park and Caelan Doris forcing the full-back to cough up a five-metre scrum.
Another Leinster penalty saw Sexton tap over for his fourth successful kick, giving a 12-7 half-time lead to the province.
Yet that advantage was cut to two points almost instantly after half-time as West knocked over an easy penalty awarded when Doris found himself isolated in his own 22.
Back came Leinster, with James Lowe winning a lineout eight metres out from their rivals' line, and a big push by the forwards brought them close to a second try.
However it didn't come as Doris was held up over the line. Sexton made the call to kick his side 15-10 ahead with a penalty awarded for offside.
The lead was soon out to eight points.
A superb break by Henshaw forced La Rochelle's defence into scrambling mode and, when James Ryan was caught high in the tackle, the skipper maintained his 100% record off the French side's 11th penalty concession.
But Leinster became careless in their own 22 and were made to pay when they lost a turnover penalty and hooker Pierre Bourgarit was given a comfortable ride to the try-line as his pack took charge of the lineout maul.
West's conversion made it a one-point game in the 62nd minute, as Sexton, Porter and Furlong made way.
Ross Byrne came on in Sexton's place and he was grateful for a quick chance to score off the tee when a replay picked up that Gibson-Park was tripped by Thomas Lavault, who was sin-binned.
Nevertheless there was no stopping La Rochelle now. Time and again, West and his team gave up the opportunity to kick a close-range penalty to move to within a point as they backed their ability to score a winning try.
And, in the end, they were proved right.
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