On a miserable night at The Rec, there was little between the teams but in such foul weather a 15-point deficit proved just too much for Bath to recoup against such powerful opponents.
La Rochelle haven’t been at their best domestically this season and presently lie only sixth in the French Top 14, having lost five of their 11 games, but any away win in Europe is a valuable commodity and the win sets them up nicely for a decent attempt to regain their crown.
Their Australian international lock, Will Skelton said: “We played all right in the first 40 but left our foot off the pedal in the last 40.
“We have to go back to the drawing board this week and rectify that but to win away in the Champions Cup is a massive achievement.”
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