La Rochelle 17-27 Harlequins: Gutsy Quins knock out former Champions Cup winners

Investec Champions Cup

La Rochelle (7) 17

Tries: Niniashvili, Nowell, Berjon Con: West

Harlequins (10) 27

Tries: Murley, Green, Lawday Cons: Smith (3) Pens: Smith (2)

In an astonishing performance, Harlequins shocked La Rochelle to secure a place in the last 16 of the Investec Champions Cup, eliminating the previous champions by preventing them from obtaining a losing bonus point.

A last-minute penalty by Marcus Smith handed Quins a stunning victory away from home, which also led to Leicester Tigers finishing fourth in Pool 3 based on points difference.

Smith successfully converted tries from Cadan Murley, Tyrone Green, and Tom Lawday, despite spending 10 minutes in the sin-bin during the second half.

La Rochelle initially took the lead through Davit Niniashvili, while second-half tries from Jack Nowell and Thomas Berjon appeared to shift the momentum in favor of the home team.

With Lawday’s try at the 72-minute mark, Quins surged ahead 24-17, and Smith’s late penalty denied La Rochelle the opportunity to secure a losing bonus point that could have granted them qualification over Leicester, silencing the home audience at Stade Marcel-Deflandre.

Despite facing challenges in the domestic Prem season, Quins rallied to finish second behind Leinster and will host their last 16 match at the Stoop.

The opening try by Niniashvili, converted by Ihaia West, appeared to propel the two-time champions forward, but they struggled to convert their pressure into additional points early in the match.

Thanks to Smith’s penalty, Quins gained momentum and led at halftime, highlighted by a try from Murley who dived over at the corner, skillfully converted by Smith.

A burst from Chandler Cunningham-South followed by a precise pass enabled Green to touch down by the posts, extending Quins’ lead to 10 points after halftime.

However, when former England winger Nowell and scrum-half Berjon scored two unconverted tries in quick succession, the scores were level at 17-17 with La Rochelle looking likely for a knockout spot.

Nonetheless, Lawday seized a long pass to barge over near the corner, with Smith landing yet another challenging conversion, bringing the score to 24-17.

When the England playmaker converted a penalty with about a minute left, hopes for Ronan O’Gara’s side were dashed in a significant upset in this year’s tournament.

La Rochelle: Leyds; Niniashvili, Seuteni, Daunivucu, Bollengier; West, Berjon; Kaddouri, Latu, Atonio (capt), Kante Samba, Boudehent, Jegou, Botia, Cancoriet.

Replacements: Lespiaucq, Wardi, Sclavi, Kuntelia, Alldritt, Fraindt, Favre, Nowell.

Harlequins: T Green; David, Northmore, Bradley, Murley; Smith, Friday; Kerrod, Walker, Delgado, Launchbury, Petti, Cunningham-South, Kenningham, Dombrandt (capt).

Replacements: Riley, Hobson, Williams, Treadwell, Carr, Lawday, M Green, Evans.

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Ita)

Assistant referees: Clara Munarini (Ita), Alberto Favaro (Ita)

TMO: Matteo Liperini (Ita)