Pool Stage - Edinburgh Rugby 8 La Rochelle 13

La Rochelle kicked off their Heineken Champions Cup campaign with a gritty 13-8 win over Edinburgh Rugby at BT Murrayfield. The French side edged the try count with Raymond Rhule and Jeremy Sinzelle crossing for the visitors, whilst only Blair Kinghorn could score for the hosts.

Round of 16 – Gloucester Rugby 16 La Rochelle 27

La Rochelle proved too strong for Gloucester Rugby in their Heineken Champions Cup Round of 16 clash, eventually running out 27-16 winners at Kingsholm. The English side ran their French opponents close for an hour, before La Rochelle piled on the pressure that resulted in Ihaia West and Jules Plisson taking full advantage from the kicking tee to help them run out ready winners.

Quarter-final – La Rochelle 45 Sale Sharks 21

La Rochelle scored six tries in a dominant display to defeat Sale Sharks 45-21 and secure a spot in the Heineken Champions Cup semi-finals for the first time. The hosts pulled away in the early stages of the second half to secure their maiden spot in the last four, having led 18-16 at the break. A late double from Geoffrey Doumayrou put further gloss on what was a commanding scoreline.

Semi-final – La Rochelle 32 Leinster Rugby 23

La Rochelle secured a Heineken Champions Cup final spot for the first time after a stunning 32-23 win over four-time European champions Leinster Rugby in their last four clash at Stade Marcel Deflandre. Second-half tries from Gregory Alldritt and Will Skelton as well as 22 points from La Rochelle fly-half Ihaia West secured success for the French outfit, who outplayed the Irish province in the latter stages with clinical attacking play as well as a superb defensive effort.

You can watch La Rochelle v Toulouse live on Saturday 22 May, live from 16:45 (UK and Irish time) on BT Sport, Channel 4 and Virgin Media.

La Rochelle will make their first Heineken Champions Cup final appearance later this month, having defeated a whole host of European heavyweights en route to the Twickenham final. We’ve taken a look back at their road to the showpiece final on May 22.