10 October 2026
La Rochelle secured a convincing 31-14 victory over the Lions in a bruising encounter on Saturday evening. The French hosts overcame an early deficit to ground the Johannesburg-based outfit, flipping a tight five-point halftime lead into a comfortable second-half cushion. Despite flashes of physical brilliance, the visitors ultimately paid the price for handling errors and disciplinary lapses at crucial junctures.
The Lions ignited the match early on after opting for a scrum from a penalty right in front of the uprights. Outside centre Henco van Wyk powered through heavy traffic from close range to dot down out wide. Chris Smith added the extras to give the visitors an ideal 7-7 start after Tevita Ofa subsequently hit back out wide for the hosts.
Discipline quickly frayed for the visitors as relentless La Rochelle pressure forced a string of penalties. Flanker Siba Mahashe was sent to the sin bin in the 27th minute for repeated infringements at the breakdown. The home team immediately capitalised on the numerical advantage, with Oscar Jegou crashing over from a collapsed maul to push the score to 14-7.
The momentum swung again when La Rochelle hooker Pierre Bourgarit received a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on. Capitalising on the dynamic, Lions hooker Morne Brandon spearheaded a close-quarters attack to score out wide. Smith slotted the conversion to dead-lock the scores at 14-14 with five minutes left in the half.
Just before the whistle, the French side struck a heavy psychological blow. Davit Niniashvili reacted quickest to collect a cross-kick on the bounce, dotting down in the right corner. Although Antoine Hastoy missed the conversion, the hosts retreated to the tunnel holding a slender 19-14 advantage.
The second stanza degenerated into a scrappy affair as unforced errors scuppered the continuity of both outfits. The Lions struggled to find touch from clearances, while La Rochelle's Theo McFarland spilt a certain try on the left wing. A sequence of set-piece Resets and handling errors on the halfway mark ground the game's momentum to a halt.
La Rochelle broke the deadlock in the 61st minute by weaponising their formidable rolling maul. Replacement hooker Tolu Latu marshalled the unstoppable drive over the whitewash, allowing Hastoy to extend the lead to 24-14. The Lions fought back valiantly to launch a 5-metre raid, but lost possession in contact directly over the try line.
The Johannesburg team thought they had snared a lifeline in the 73rd minute when Nico Steyn sliced through to score. However, the Television Match Official intervened to scratch the try for a forward pass in the build-up. That missed opportunity effectively took the wind out of the visitors' sails for the remaining minutes.
Avakuki Niusalelekitoka put the result beyond doubt four minutes before the final whistle. The winger finished off a relentless multi-phase assault in the left corner to put the hosts well clear. Hastoy slotted the final conversion from the touchline to cement the 31-14 scoreline.
Scorers:
Stade Rochelais: Tries: Tevita Ofa, Oscar Jegou, Davit Niniashvili, Tolu Latu, Avakuki Niusalelekitoga. Conversions: Antoine Hastoy (3).
10bet Lions: Tries: Henco van Wyk, Morne Brandon. Conversions: Chris Smith (2).
Teams:
Stade Rochelais: 15 Sacha Elissalde, 14 Tevita Ofaz 13 Semi Lagivala, 12 Jules Favre, 11 Davit Niniashvili, 10 Antoine Hastoy, 9 Valentin Bouju, 8 Gregory Alldritt, 7 Oscar Jegou, 6 Theo McFarland, 5 Watisoni Waqanisaravi, 4 Charles Kante Samba, 3 Karl Sorin, 2 Pierre Bourgarit, 1 Alexandre Kaddouri. Replacements: 16 Tolu Latu, 17 Louis Penverne, 18 Aleksandre Kuntelia, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 Paul Boudehent, 21 Matthias Haddad, 22 Dillyn Leyds, 23 Avakuki Niusalelekitoka.
10bet Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Kelly Mpeku, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Bronson Mills, 11 Erich Cronje, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Siba Qoma, 6 Siba Mahashe, 24 Ruan Delport, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, Conraad van Vuuren, 2 Morne Brandon, 1 Boan Venter. Replacements: 16 Tiaan Lange, 17 SJ Kotze, 18 RF Schoeman, 19 Dylan Sjoblom, 20 Batho Hlekani, 21 Nico Steyn, 22 Richard Kriel, 23 Boeta Chamberlain.