Donnacha Ryan plays down La Rochelle knockout record against Leinster

Donnacha Ryan contends that La Rochelle's historical success against Leinster doesn't necessarily confer a psychological advantage onto the French team ahead of their Investec Champions Cup quarter-final.

This Saturday, the teams will meet for the fifth time in four seasons at the Aviva Stadium,

Since their encounter in the 2021 semi-final, held without spectators at Stade Marcel-Deflandre, La Rochelle has triumphed in all three playoff matches, including the 2022 and 2023 finals. These victories were secured by margins of nine points, three points, and one point, respectively.

However, Leinster managed to secure a hard-fought 16-9 victory over the defending champions in their initial Pool 4 clash in December, under the guidance of Leo Cullen.

Despite La Rochelle's prior success, it's notable that in matches with significant stakes, Ronan O’Gara's team has emerged victorious each time.

"No," said Ryan.

"We take every game on its merits. It’s obviously a completely different animal as well. There’s change in staff. Players have come in as well.

"We’ve different challenges this time around. That’s good, it gives us a chance to test ourselves as a group.

"I think this weekend we can put in a good performance, put in a performance we have been trying to get for the last number of months since the boys have come back from the World Cup."