Antoine Hastoy was coveted by several French Top 14 clubs but chose La Rochelle. Presumably the attraction outside the financial terms - a chance to work with head coach Ronan O’Gara, a former Test match titan in the 10 jersey who would be able to oversee the development of a young outhalf, one that had made his France debut against Australia the previous summer (2021) - swung the decision in Les Maritimes’ favour.
The decision of the 25-year-old to commit to La Rochelle predated their Champions Cup coronation last season, a feat they will be hoping to repeat at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday when they face Leinster in the final for a second year in succession.
Ihaia West was outhalf for La Rochelle in last season’s final, the New Zealander blemish-free in a nine-point placekicking display. He left for Toulon in the summer while another veteran Jules Plisson departed for Clermont Auvergne.
Hastoy, who started his rugby at the RC Billère Asptt Lescar club, had spent 11 years at Pau from the age of 13, before stating that “I feel the need for another challenge and to take this new step, I have to get out of my comfort zone.”
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He resolved to “settle in quickly as possible,” and that the “the most important thing will be to get used to the players who are here. When I met the people at La Rochelle, I immediately knew that I wanted to go there and nowhere else. From the first meeting I was sure of my choice.
“Previous seasons at Pau made me want to look elsewhere. We had just experienced three difficult seasons and I wanted more. Mentally it’s really hard to live with never knowing what we were going to do next season, and also knowing that you can’t play for the title. I want to win titles.”
Hastoy, a talented playmaker and an excellent place-kicker, made his international debut against the Wallabies and last summer got a second cap on a tour to Japan; 10 minutes as a replacement for Matthieu Jalibert.
He was included in Fabien Galthie’s extended Six Nations squad for this season’s tournament but didn’t make the matchday 23 for any of the five games. He’s currently jostling for position alongside Romain Ntamack, Jalibert and Louis Carbonel to try and earn a spot in the panel for the home World Cup later in the year.
He told Midi Olympique at the time: “The French team is there in the back of my head. I know I have to play in important matches otherwise it would be impossible to get any higher. That’s why joining a team that can perform in the league and in the European Cup was important.”
Matches like Saturday and those at the business end of the French Top 14 represent opportunities to not only make a case for inclusion but also vindicate his decision to leave Pau for La Rochelle. O’Gara said that he didn’t give Hastoy his chance but “that it was he who won it in training. The best meets the best and Antoine is full of energy.”
Hastoy’s rounded skill sets provide his team with more variety when it comes to attacking the opposition, incorporating a good passing game, and a bagful of kicking options, from dinks to cross-kicks. He is the leading points scorer (81) in this season’s Champions Cup.
Confident in demeanour, he is keen to embrace Saturday’s pinnacle of European club rugby. “I don’t feel pressure but excitement, lots of excitement. It’s the first time I’m going to the final. Since last week we have been thinking about how we are going to play this final. Personally, I am very excited. The group is fresh and confident. It’s a good omen but we absolutely must put in our best performance.”
Hastoy already has happy memories of playing in the Aviva Stadium having scored 26 points - a try, five penalties and three conversions - in a victory over Ulster in Dublin earlier in the European campaign. He said: “Compared to December, the crowd will be 100 per cent Irish and it would be even better to win against a whole stadium. We have our plan.
“Last week there was already a group working on this final,” a reference to the fact that only frontliners Jonathan Danty and Levani Botia played last weekend in the French Top 14 as O’Gara sent a weakened side to Montpellier.
He continued: “Leinster is excellent on its launches, and it will obviously be necessary to be vigilant. We have to stay at 15 against 15 the whole match otherwise it’s far too hard, we will also have to limit their entries into our 22.
“The lost finals serve [as a reminder] and we try to learn from these failures. But this group is different and hungry. Leinster did a lot of things against Munster, it’s a very organised team, even with a second team, you can see their system.”
He deflected any talk of Leinster’s revenge motif having lost the last two European matches against La Rochelle. “It’s not our problem. It’s their motivational tool. [For us] the emotional side will be left out.”
