Ronan O'Gara admits to 'hammering' from Leinster but refuses to make excuses for La Rochelle

The Corkman predicts Leinster and Toulouse are the two big teams left in the competition

Ronan O'Gara said his La Rochelle team took a "hammering" from rampant Leinster in their Champions Cup quarter-final clash.

The Blues were runaway winners in the fourth knock-out meeting of the sides in as many years, with their opponents coming out on top in the first three - a semi-final and two finals.

Today it was Leinster's turn, however. Last year, La Rochelle came back from a 17-point deficit to claim a famous final victory on Lansdowne Road.

Read More Leinster v La Rochelle score recap and result from the Champions Cup

But this time, although the Yellow and Blacks reduced the deficit to 10 points just before half-time, they were blitzed by Leo Cullen's side in the second half and didn't score again in a 40-13 defeat.

"I said before the game in an interview that I think we could put a score on these or else we could take a score because that’s the fascinating thing about coaching my boys," O'Gara said.

“They are a special bunch and they are capable of playing incredible rugby, but today, we didn’t hit our stride.

“There are probably a number of reasons for that but 40-13 sounds like a hammering, and it is a hammering.

"But at the same time, it’s only three tries against a Leinster team where you look how many opportunities we butchered as consolation scores - not as real scores - towards the end.

“I think, when it was in the 10-point zone, the game was always in doubt, but once it passed that, it’s too far-fetched to think you are going to be winning the game against a quality outfit."

O'Gara didn't want to place the blame for a tired effort on having to recover from a last 16 clash with the Stormers last Saturday and make the trip back from South Africa.

He said: “That would using an excuse. Maybe with hindsight it may have been a factor, but the better team won. The better team won. And that’s what sport is about.

“I have been lucky enough to be here as a victorious coach, so when it doesn’t work for you, you can’t blame the ref, you can’t blame your own players, sometimes you just have to go, ‘Well done to Leinster'.

"They had a good plan, they executed it well and they kept us at arms length quite comfortably throughout the 80 minutes."

Asked if any team could now stop Leinster from winning the tournament for a fifth time, O'Gara replied: “There will always be a challenge for whoever came out of this game because, all of a sudden now, they’ll be hot favourites but the air gets thinner as you go to a semi-final, final.

"Toulouse are quality. Leinster have always had their measure in this competition but the way they play the game will pose challenges. I see Harlequins had a big win as well.

“For me, it’s two teams with massive tradition left so it’s not a final for Leinster today, I wouldn’t think.

"There’s still 160 minutes of rugby for them. We would have liked to have had that."

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