Comments collected in Marseille,
Romain Sazy (second row from La Rochelle): “It’s a special feeling. In the group, very few know this feeling. This is the realization of everything we talked about during the week. In our head, it was very clear. Now we are champions… You know very well where we went. It’s huge for the club, for its progress. We had to go through this step. We have conjured up the fate a bit. We were runners-up. Watching the opponent lift the trophy, in front of the fireworks… Really, we didn’t want to recognize this feeling. Now, we will know the other sensation. And, having tasted it, I had told the guys about it: the Old Port of La Rochelle just being promoted to Top 14 in 2014, it was impressive. I dare not imagine Sunday on the Old Port… It will be indescribable.
Ronan O’Gara (Stade Rochelais manager): “This week there was a lot of calm and serenity in the group. We have a forwards coach who loves direct play and a head coach who likes to score tries anyhow. The forwards decided to keep the ball, but at one point I said “let’s go”, we need a try! And it was difficult, so it’s wonderful for the group. We were all in. It’s easy to explain: we lost two finals, it’s a horrible feeling. And I can understand what Leinster is going through: we only led once in the game. At the 80th minute. They couldn’t come back. It’s terrible for them. But our state of mind was irreproachable. We learned from our mistakes. We really believed we could win. The guys deserve all the accolades for staying focused. We gave them trouble in the first half even though we hadn’t been rewarded.”
Grégory Alldritt (third line of Stade Rochelais): “All week, we had said to ourselves that everyone had to think carefully to find out if they really wanted it. Let the 23 of the group think about the injured, the absent, the out-of-group, and if they really wanted to go get her. At the end, you saw a determined group that for nothing in the world would have left the cup to Leinster. (…) It’s a little weird, there are so many emotions, I feel a little empty. Since I arrived in La Rochelle, we have been shown videos of the Old Port (where the players will be welcomed on Sunday, editor’s note). Sunday, I think I will realize. We bring this trophy back to our supporters and they almost deserve it more than us. They are more European champions than us: they have never let us down. Last year, we had a great adventure but they couldn’t live it. And when you see the Velodrome this (Saturday) evening, what more could you ask for? We can’t wait to give them this trophy, they are so wonderful. On the last sequence, when we find ourselves in front of our bend, I can assure you that it carries a lot.
