Leinster v La Rochelle Prediction – European Rugby Champions Cup Final
We have a Leinster v La Rochelle prediction and preview plus betting odds ahead of the European Rugby Champions Cup Final
Game Details
Matchup: Leinster vs La Rochelle
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
What Channel? RTÉ 2, BT Sport 2
Match Betting Odds
Leinster are 3/10 to win this match, La Rochelle can be gotten at 11/4 while the draw is 25/1.
The handicap is Leinster -8 at 10/11.
THE FORM – Leinster v La Rochelle
Leinster Form
Favourites to win this competition and it’s easy to see why. Leinster topped the table in the league section of the United Rugby Championship with 16 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw from their 18 matches played. They then defeated South African side Sharks 35-5 to set up a Semi-Final against provincial rivals Munster. In that match, Munster pulled off a shock 15-16 victory over Leinster to earn their place in the United Rugby Championship Final, following the match Leinster’s Head Coach was criticised for the amount of changes he made to his regular team.
In the European Champions Cup, they can’t be touched this season winning four out of four of their pool-stage games with a points differential of +150. They then beat Ulster 30-15 in the Round of 16 and Leicester 55-24 in the Quarter-Final. They made light work of Toulouse in the Semi-Final 41-22 to earn their place in the final against defending champions La Rochelle and will be looking to avenge their defeat to them in the final last season and win the competition for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
La Rochelle Form
In the Top-14 this season they finished in second position two points behind Toulouse following a record of 16 wins and 9 in their 25 matches. La Rochelle entered the Champions Cup this season as defending champions following their 24-21 victory against Leinster last year which was their first-ever success in the competition. In the pool stages, they won four out of four with a points differential of +63. They have shown a lot of grit and determination to make the final beating Gloucester in the Round of 16 29-26, Saracens in the Quarter-Final 24-10 before overcoming Exeter Chiefs comprehensively in the Semi-Final 47-28 to book their place in the final.
HOW THE TEAMS MATCH UP – Leinster v La Rochelle
Leinster Attack
Leinster has arguably the most potent attack in World Rugby with the most points scored in every competition they have played in this season. In the United Rugby Championship, they have scored 580 points this season which is 32.22 points per match. In this competition, they scored 310 points a staggering average of 44.28 points per match. Garry Ringrose is their top try-scorer in the competition with six tries to his name and will be hoping to add a few more to his name at the weekend.
La Rochelle Defence
La Rochelle had the fourth-best defence in the Top-14 this season with 469 points conceded an average of 18.76 points per game. In fact, only 4 points separating the top-four defence in the Top-14 this season. In this competition, they conceded only 57 points in their opening four group matches an average of 14.25 points per game. In the knockout stages, they conceded 26, 10 and 28 points meaning throughout the competition they have conceded 12 points an average of 17.28 points per game.
La Rochelle Attack
La Rochelle had the second-best attack in the Top-14 this season with 659 points scored an average of 26.36 points per game. In this competition, they scored 120 points in their opening four group matches an average of 30 points per game. In the knockout stages, they scored 29, 24 and 47 points meaning throughout the competition they scored 220 points an average of 31.42 points per game.
Leinster Defence
Leinster are not only potent in attack but solid defensively. In the United Rugby Championship, they conceded 363 points an average of 20.16 a game. This statistic is skewed though with their 62-7 loss to The Blues with a heavily rotated team if you discount that match they only concede 17.70 points per match before losing out to Munster 15-16 in the knockout stages of the competition. In this competition, they conceded only 34 points in their opening pool matches an average of just 8.5 points per game. However, the step up in opposition and more open games in the knockout stages had them concede 15, 24 and 22 points meaning they have conceded 95 points throughout the competition an average of 13.57 points per game.
Leinster V La Rochelle Prediction
Prediction: Leinster 24 – 16 La Rochelle
Leinster are favourites for this match following an excellent season so far and dominating it from start to finish. If they win at the weekend they will avenge their final defeat to La Rochelle from last season and win the Champions Cup for the first time since the 2017-18 season. La Rochelle being coached by a certain Ronan O’Gara will be looking to win the trophy for the second time and retain the Champions Cup.
It’s hard to look past Leinster though and they should be sharp and hungry for trophies following their defeat to Munster in the United Rugby Championship Semi-Final and defeat in this competition last year.
The Rugby World Cup will take place later this year and in a recent post we took a look at the odds, pools and fixtures at this year’s Rugby World World Cup.
Click Below For All Our Leinster v La Rochelle Odds
*Prices subject to fluctuation
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