Defending two-time Champions Cup winners La Rochelle face a challenging run-in to the end of the Top 14 season, starting with a match against Pau on Saturday.
As they strive to make the play-offs and avoid ending the year without a trophy, the team aim to avoid a repeat of the 2017-18 season, the last time they missed the play-offs in France's elite division.
The last time La Rochelle missed the play-offs in France's elite division was in the 2017–18 season.
Currently holding the sixth and final play-off spot with 56 points, Ronan O'Gara's team is just 1 point behind Racing 92. However, they are closely trailed by Pau (55 points), Castres (54), Perpignan (53), and Clermont (51).
La Rochelle have won only 11 of their 23 games this season, with 10 victories at home. They were recently knocked out of the Champions Cup quarterfinals by Leinster, who will face Toulouse in the final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 25.
Their final fixtures include a trip to league leaders Toulouse, who defeated them in last year's Top 14 final, and a home game against Racing. Pau, enjoying their best season in recent history, previously beat La Rochelle at Stade Marcel Deflandre and have scored at least 20 points in their last six Top 14 matches.
Injuries have plagued O'Gara's team, with key players Levani Botia (forearm) and Jonathan Danty (shoulder) recently sidelined. This has prevented O'Gara from fielding his strongest lineup, particularly affecting their 10th-ranked attack.
"We need to vary our game a bit more because a forward-based gameplan is very tiring," O'Gara said, reflecting on their recent 34-14 loss to the Bordeaux-Begles. "Without aggression, you win nothing. The team with the most desire won."
O'Gara emphasised the need for leadership and a change in approach for the remaining matches. "Our pride is damaged, we need to give another image. We will do it," he vowed.
Other critical fixtures this weekend include second-placed Stade Francais hosting third-placed Bordeaux-Begles, fourth-placed Toulon travelling to bottom club Oyonnax, and Racing away at Lyon. Castres faces a crucial trip to Clermont while Bayonne hosts Perpignan. League leaders Toulouse play relegation-threatened Montpellier in Saturday's early game.
