Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall is “not sure” whether La Rochelle have the capabilities to defend their Champions Cup title following Sunday’s quarter-final clash.
The French outfit proved too strong for the Englishmen, especially up front, as they claimed a 24-10 triumph to move into the last-four.
Ronan O’Gara’s men will take on Exeter Chiefs in the semi-finals in Bordeaux-Begles and, should they win that, then Leinster or Toulouse await in the showpiece event.
The Irish province are favourites for the title but Le Rouge et Noir will also be incredibly difficult opponents should they get there.
Final in Dublin
However, with the final at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin this year, everything is pointing towards Leo Cullen’s charges winning their first Champions Cup since 2018.
And although McCall was impressed with La Rochelle’s performance against his side at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre, he believes it could be difficult for them to retain their crown.
“They brought their best game today and we knew they would; after all, they are a great team and the European champions. If you want to play against them you have to be incredibly accurate and we weren’t,” Sarries’ director of rugby said.
“I’m not sure if they are the best team in Europe or the favourites to win it again. There are a couple of other teams like Toulouse and Leinster who are outstanding sides.
“Home advantage is worth a lot, as we’ve seen in the last 16 and the quarter-finals.”
Saracens never really got close enough to cause their opponents problems on Sunday, which McCall put down to their ill-discipline.
“The penalty count was a big issue for us, and we didn’t have the accuracy and precision you need against the very top teams. Their defence was also incredible,” he said.
“We had a lot of ball and a lot of times down their end without looking like we were going to score. They were very good at capitalising on any bit of field position they got.
“We’ve got five weeks until our home semi-final and we can learn a lot of lessons from today and work on them before then.”
Delight for O’Gara
McCall’s mood was in stark contrast to O’Gara, who saw his side put in a much-improved display after their struggles against Gloucester the previous week.
“It was a great performance because we never gave in mentally. Saracens have a great mindset founded on doggedness, respect and humility and we knew we would be tested,” he said.
“We couldn’t put them away but we had enough in the bank to keep them at arm’s length. The game is based on fine margins, and we are aware of that, and what was really pleasing was we didn’t give them any scores.
“Most of the game they were on three points and then they got a try that Andrew Brace saw, and it took confirmation from the TMO that it was a scorer.
“We’re very happy, it’s a special place. It’s very important for me as a coach to connect with the boys. They are a very caring group, they like it here and they represent the town well.”