O’Gara turning to Seuteni to plug gaps
LA ROCHELLE, FRANCE - MAY 02: Ronan O'Gara, Head Coach of La Rochelle leads the warm up prior to the Heineken Champions Cup Semi-Final match between La Rochelle and Leinster at Stade Marcel Deflandre on May 02, 2021 in La Rochelle, France. Sporting stadiums around France remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Lionel Hahn/Getty Images)
Champions Cup holders La Rochelle have looked to strengthen their midfield to face Saracens after bringing in UJ Seuteni at outside centre channel.
Raymond Rhule switches to the left wing with Jules Favre moving to the right and Teddy Thomas dropping to the bench.
The French outfit were exposed defensively by Gloucester in last weekend's narrow 29-26 last-16 triumph and boss Ronan O'Gara is hoping Seuteni can plug those gaps.
They are otherwise unchanged behind the scrum, while there is just one alteration up front as Reda Wardi comes in for Joel Sclavi at prop.
Sclavi is on the bench and is covering tighthead following the ban for Georges-Henri Colombe, whose nasty clearout on Ruan Ackermann earned him a suspension. Former Saracen Hayden Thompson-Stringer is promoted into the 23.
Only four teams have managed to retain the Champions Cup, which is a clear indication of how tough it is to remain at the top.
The introduction of the South African teams has made it more difficult than ever but La Rochelle remain on course to join an elite group. Leicester, Leinster, Toulon and today's opponents Saracens know what it takes to go back-to-back, and while this is uncharted territory for La Rochelle, so too was their run to last year's final, when they swept all before them to land the club's first title in Marseille as O'Gara plotted Leinster's downfall.
