The Lions begin their 2026/27 Investec Champions Cup campaign with a demanding trip to face La Rochelle at Stade Marcel-Deflandre on Saturday.
The teams have been drawn in Pool 2 alongside Toulouse, Saracens, Exeter Chiefs and Connacht, leaving little margin for error in the race to qualify for the knockout rounds.
La Rochelle v Lions, Saturday 17th October, Stade Marcel Deflandre, La Rochelle, kick-off 18:30 SAST
Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
Assistant Referees: Jonny MacKenzie (Scotland), Rob McDowell (Scotland)
TMO: Dave Sutherland (Scotland)
Weather Forecast – La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle have won four and lost two of their opening six Top 14 matches and come into the Champions Cup after consecutive victories.
They opened the season by beating Toulouse 30-27 and then edged Toulon 21-20 away. Defeats against Racing 92 and Pau followed, but Ronan O’Gara’s side responded with a 38-13 home win over Clermont and a 28-16 victory at Lyon.
La Rochelle won this competition in 2022 and 2023 and remain a formidable proposition at Stade Marcel- Deflandre.
They are priced at 16/1 to win the Champions Cup.
Lions
The Lions won their opening two United Rugby Championship matches before suffering a heavy defeat at Loftus Versfeld in Round 3.
They edged defending champions Leinster 27-26 in Johannesburg and followed that with a 35-19 victory over the Ospreys.
Their unbeaten start ended against the Bulls, who dominated the Pretoria derby and ran out 57-15 winners.
The Lions have nine points from their opening three URC matches and now face one of the most demanding away assignments in European club rugby.
They are priced at 124/1 to win the Champions Cup.
Head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between La Rochelle and the Lions.
Team news
La Rochelle: Team to follow.
Lions: Team to follow.
The Betting
La Rochelle -14.5
Lions +14.5
Betting angle
Bet to follow.
All our Champions Cup bets will be posted in the Round 1 betting blog.
See what other punters fancy and have your say in the Goodforthegame Rugby Forum thread.
Disclaimer: Odds are subject to change. Please gamble responsibly. No bet is guaranteed to win. Please only bet what you can afford to lose.