Kerr-Barlow: La Rochelle understand ‘temperament’ required to win final
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Stade Rochelais scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow says his side understand the mindset required to win a Heineken Champions Cup final after their past two experiences.
The TOP 14 side were beaten by Stade Toulousain in the 2021 showpiece game but clinched a maiden EPCR crown last season when they beat Leinster Rugby in Marseille.
La Rochelle face Leinster again in this season’s final – at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday – and Kerr-Barlow believes that they have become accustomed to such a huge stage.
“There’s definitely a certain aspect and temperament you have to have to play well in finals,” he said. “Often, it’s not the team with the most talent, it’s the team that has the best temperament and is able to stay calm and play the best rugby.
“We’re fortunate to have been able to play in a couple of finals and gain some experience, but when you turn around and look at Leinster, they’re full of quality, international players and [Ireland] have just come off a Grand Slam in the Six Nations.”
Kerr-Barlow missed La Rochelle’s 2022 final triumph through injury, and after scoring five tries in seven games in this season’s Heineken Champions Cup, he is set to be a key figure this time around.
“It was unfortunate [to miss the game] but I couldn’t have been happier,” he recalled. “I just contributed in a different way- off the field and not so much on the field in the final. I couldn’t have been happier for our boys and our club.
“I wasn’t on the field, but it almost felt like I was. The sensation was awesome. But fingers crossed, I’ll be able to be on that pitch in Dublin on Saturday.
“They’re one of the best sides in Europe. You want to play against the best and Leinster are definitely one of the best.”
La Rochelle beat Exeter Chiefs 47-28 to reach the final, and while Kerr-Barlow hailed the raucous support for that game in Bordeaux, he pointed out some imperfections in his team’s performance.
“The support was enormous [in the semi-finals],” he said. “I think we’ve got the best fans in Europe – that’s obviously going to be disputed between other players and clubs.
“It was an enormous occasion. We were happy to win the game but obviously we let ourselves down in certain areas, allowing tries. We probably should have been better in a few moments. Big games are made up of moments.
“I thought we could’ve shown better application, been a bit more ruthless. But you can’t take away from Exeter, they’re a quality team with quality players and they were able to take advantage of a couple of situations there.
“I don’t know how much support we’re going to have [in Dublin], but what support we do have, they’ll be singing their hearts out.”
Meanwhile, Kerr-Barlow believes he may have crossed paths with Leinster counterpart Jamison Gibson-Park while playing schoolboy rugby, and he noted his importance to the Irish province, having dotted down twice himself in this season’s Heineken Champions Cup.
“Jamo is a great player,” Kerr-Barlow said. “I played a lot against him in New Zealand, he’s a quality nine. He can run the socks off almost anyone and he’s been doing a fabulous job for Leinster.
“He looks like he’s a big part of how they play, the tempo and his ability to speed the game up. He’s definitely a big factor for them.”
Kerr-Barlow was keen to highlight the work done by head coach Ronan O’Gara to instill a Heineken Champions Cup mindset in the La Rochelle players, with the former Munster Rugby fly-half the competition’s all-time leading points scorer and a two-time winner.
“Player under ROG is a pleasure, he’s a great coach,” he said. “He seems to be able to get the best out of us in the most important moments.
“He kind of cut his teeth as a club player in the Champions Cup, had great success there. We can feel the intensity and all the preparation that all the coaches go through, but ROG definitely enjoys the Champions Cup and as a club, we do as well.
