La Rochelle-Ulster was a chess match played in a storm

Ulster fell agonisingly short away from home to Heineken Champions Cup holders La Rochelle at the Stade Marcel Deflandre on Saturday evening.

Champions are champions for a reason and Ronan O'Gara’s charges got the vital, match-winning score while the clock was in the red - something he was no stranger to doing himself.

Ulster deserved a lot more from the game after managing it better than La Rochelle for large parts of the 80 minutes in awful wind and rain.

Rugby in those conditions is a different game and not what either side would have been preparing for.

When the head coach or attack coach sets out their game plan at the start of the season, it’s rarely with the thought that it would be the perfect strategy for torrential rain and howling winds. It’s not much of a spectacle for supporters either, despite some rugby purists enjoying the strategic battle.

However, if you want to play the game at the business end of the season in semi-finals and finals, you need the ability to adapt the game plan to master all eventualities.

To have success in these conditions, certain qualities are essential.

A goal kicker is worth their weight in gold. You will only get a handful of opportunities so you can’t waste any.

Antoine Hastoy [above] was unfortunate to hit the post when his side were playing into the wind. The underfoot conditions, the wet slippery ball and the aerial challenges played their part and his shot rebounded off the post to let Ulster off the hook.

Any score into a wind like that, with conditions that were unplayable, is a major lifeline in the game. Ulster got lucky.

If Hastoy was able to convert the chance, La Rochelle could have opted for the posts late on in the second half instead of needing to pound away at the Ulster