Lions fall short against La Rochelle in emotional Champions Cup debut

The defeat came a day after the sudden passing of Lions lock Hyron Andrews in France, with the match beginning with a minute's silence in honour of the late player.

The Lions started brightly, with Henco van Wyk opening the scoring in the fourth minute, but La Rochelle hit back through Tevita Ofa before Antoine Hastoy's conversion levelled the scores at 7-7.

The hosts took control after Lions flanker Sibabalwe Mahashe was yellow-carded in the 28th minute. Oscar Jegou crossed soon afterwards, with Hastoy converting to put La Rochelle 14-7 ahead.

However, the Lions responded while La Rochelle hooker Pierre Bourgarit was in the sin bin, with Morne Brandon scoring in the 34th minute. Chris Smith's conversion made it 14-14 before Davit Niniashvili finished off an Antoine Hastoy cross-kick just before half-time to give the hosts a 19-14 lead.

The Lions threatened after the break but struggled to breach La Rochelle's defence. The French side extended their advantage in the 60th minute when replacement hooker Tolu Latu finished off a powerful forward drive, taking the score to 24-14.

The visitors continued to fight and thought they had scored in the 72nd minute after a promising attacking move, only for the try to be ruled out for a forward pass following a TMO review.

La Rochelle made the most of their good fortune, with Avakuki Niusalelekitoga finishing in the corner in the 76th minute before Hastoy converted to seal a 31-14 victory.

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