La Rochelle, last season’s losing finalists, eased past Glasgow 20-13 on Sunday as the opening round of the Champions Cup was reshaped by COVID-19.
La Rochelle beat Glasgow Warriors 20-13 in the opening round of the Champions Cup on 12 December 2021. Picture: @GlasgowWarriors/Twitter
PARIS – La Rochelle, last season’s losing finalists, eased past Glasgow 20-13 on Sunday as the opening round of the Champions Cup was reshaped by COVID-19.
In the late game, English champions Harlequins became the first away team to win at Castres in Europe since 2015 when they won 20-18.
La Rochelle had reported two positives in the run up to the match while the virus had a much more dramatic impact on the encounter between Wasps and Munster.
Wasps, without 17 injured players, lost four more to positive tests on Sunday morning. Munster have 34 personnel in quarantine following an ill-fated United Rugby Championship trip to South Africa, but still won.
Two Welsh teams quarantining after returning from South Africa had not been able to overcome their problems.
Scarlets opted to concede their match to Bristol while a youthful Cardiff team lost 39-7 at home to champions Toulouse on Saturday.
Castres made 13 changes from their last Top 14 game and paid the price.
The French club had not lost at home in any competition for almost a year and had gone seven European games unbeaten since their last defeat, also to Harlequins, but the visitors held off a desperate late assault.
Castres wing Josaia Raisuqe and Quins wing Louis Lynagh scored first-half tries.
A try from No. 8 Alex Dombrandt and the conversion and a penalty from Marcus Smith put Quins nine points up but Martin Laveau burst through to set up a frantic final five minutes.
In La Rochelle, Glasgow were undone by the 10 points they conceded after Rory Darge was sent to the sin bin in the 55th minute.
Kyle Steyn had just put the visitors 11-10 up but Eneriko Buliruarua then scored against 14 men.
Ihaia West converted and took his total for the game to 10 points when he ended the scoring with a penalty.
After the game La Rochelle coach Ronan O’Gara said that winger Arthur Retiere, who has one France cap, had suffered a broken ankle and would be out for “several months”.
MUNSTER YOUNGSTERS SHINE
Munster crushed Wasps 35-14 in Coventry in a meeting between two makeshift teams.
Wasps then played most of the match with only 14 men after lock Brad Shields was sent off for a high tackle on Dave Kilcoyne.
Yet they hit back to take a 7-6 lead when No. 8 Alfie Barbeary scored a 31st minute try.
Munster replied with a try by winger Keith Earls and pulled away after hooker Dan Frost received a yellow card just before halftime, reducing Wasps to 13.
Teenage full-back Patrick Campbell, making his debut, touched down in the first minute of the second half.
Four minutes later winger Andrew Conway pounced on a Wasps handling error to race away and score.
Another debutant, hooker Scott Buckley, added a final try.
Sale Sharks scored all their points in the first 25 minutes and then survived an Ospreys fightback and their own indiscipline to win 21-12 in Swansea.
Centre Rohan Janse Van Rensburg, hooker Ewan Ashman and lock Jean-Luc Du Preez all touched down as Sale took their early chances.
Sale conceded 18 penalties and had two players, Lood De Jager and Ben Curry yellow carded.
“We came away with a win down in south Wales on a wet day in a big competition,” said Sale rugby director Alex Sanderson.
“That penalty count goes against the trend of winning rugby games, really.”
Connacht gained a 36-9 bonus-point win over Stade Francais in Galway.
The home team played into the wind in the first half but took a 19-6 lead and dominated the second half finishing with six tries.
Stade, playing their first Champions Cup game since 2016, managed only three Nicolas Sanchez penalties.
“We were dominant in contest for the ball but we were not able to build on it,” said Stade centre Alex Arrate. “We gave up in the last ten minutes. There is no excuse.”
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