La Rochelle to play Leinster in Champions Cup final in repeat of 2022

Holders La Rochelle will play four-time winners Leinster in the Champions Cup final after despatching Exeter 47-28 in the semi-final in Bordeaux on Sunday.

The May 20 final at Dublin's Aviva Stadium will be a repeat of last year's final, which saw La Rochelle run out 24-21 winners over Leinster in Marseille.

It promises to be an entertaining affair given La Rochelle's attractive high-tempo, offloading game-plan masterminded by coach Ronan O'Gara, the former Ireland fly-half who twice won the Cup with Munster.

Leinster, with O'Gara's successor in the Irish No.10 shirt Jonny Sexton out injured, are a side packed full of well-drilled Ireland internationals capable of punishing any side on their day -- they hammered Top 14 leaders Toulouse 41-22 in their semi-final on Saturday.

"The goal was to come back to this competition and win it again," said La Rochelle fly-half Antoine Hastoy, who converted six of his team's seven tries.

"When it gets to knock-out rugby, the squad gets into this mode. Leinster are a monster team, always present for the big matches. There remains one match for us..." Hastoy told BeIN Sport.

At the Matmut Atlantique in Bordeaux, which will host five matches at this year's Rugby World Cup, it was Exeter who opened the scores.

READ: Leinster thump Toulouse to reach Champions Cup final

No 8 Sam Simmonds was driven over for a try after the English side dominated early possession and territory, and his try was converted by his brother, Joe.

La Rochelle hit straight back, however, with livewire South African winger Raymond Rhule gathering a clever Hastoy grubber after a break by Julien Favre.

Hastoy converted and was also successful after a second try by Australian centre and man-of-the-match Ulupano Seuteni, who