They gathered in their thousands, droves upon droves of the Rochelais chorus thronged in the port city to welcome their conquering travellers home. Ronan O’Gara’s European champions touched down in the early hours of Sunday morning to a typically fervent reception, the thump of the drums and the glare of the flares ensuring any bleary eyes cleared quickly.
The celebrations were more than merited. To go back-to-back as Champions Cup winners would have been achievement enough; to turn over Leinster on their own patch having been three scores down inside 12 minutes marks this La Rochelle team out as one of the great club sides.
