Ronan O'Gara believes that Johnny Sexton has been fuelled by his Lions snub last year and has come back from that disappointment a better player.
Once rivals for the Ireland no 10 jersey, O'Gara and Sexton came to become firm friends when the former coached the latter in Paris.
Their paths diverge again in Marseille on Saturday when O'Gara, as La Rochelle's head coach, looks to stop the Leinster gameplan as put into effect by Sexton, who turns 37 in July but remains the province's driving force.