Match Report: Heartbreak for Ulster amid last-gasp Sclavi try

Sclavi powered over from close range in added time as La Rochelle stole victory from the jaws of defeat in turgid conditions – the weather playing a huge factor in the contest.

A Nathan Doak penalty for Ulster had given them a 3-0 lead in a game of very few scoring chances, but the Irish province were unable to hold off the determined hosts in the final seconds of the contest.

They certainly had to work for it, but reigning champions @staderochelais advanced to the #HeinekenChampionsCup Round of 16 in the rain of La Rochelle 🙌

Can they retain the title? 🏆 pic.twitter.com/HceataUwlU

— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) January 14, 2023

With rain and wind gusting around the Stade Marcel Deflandre, the first half was one of handling errors and missed opportunities.

Both sides had chances to take the lead from the tee, Antoine Hastoy clanging an effort off the post before Doak narrowly missed a long-range effort.

Ulster controlled a lot of the territory in the first half and did knock on the door of the La Rochelle try-line, forcing referee Nika Amashukeli to send Paul Boudehent to the sin bin for persistent infringements. Despite the pressure, La Rochelle held firm to go into the break scoreless.

The second half brought more of the same, with Doak’s 64th minute looking set to be the difference between the two sides.

But alas, Sclavi rumbled over from close range after a number of phases near the Ulster line, the reigning champions securing their berth in the Round of 16 with the late score.

Ulster sit 10th in Pool B with three points from three games and will need a victory at home against Sale Sharks next Saturday to have any hope of reaching the knockout stage. La Rochelle travel to Northampton Saints on the same day in their Round 4 clash.