The clouds have parted at Twickenham and the weather looks good as Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle face Toulouse in an all-French Heineken Champions Cup Final today. Can La Rochelle secure their first-ever Champions Cup? Or will it be a record-breaking fifth Champions Cup win for Toulouse? The big match kicks off at 4.45pm BST this afternoon. Watch for free on Channel 4 or check out our guide guide to getting a La Rochelle vs Toulouse live stream from anywhere in the world.
Date: Saturday 22nd May 2021
Kick off: 4.45pm BST / 5.45pm CET / 11.45pm ET / 1.45am AEST
Venue: Twickenham Stadium, UK
Free streams: Channel 4 / France TV
US stream: Peacock (7-day free trial)
Watch anywhere: Try ExpressVPN risk-free today
UK stream: BT Sport 2 HD
AUS stream: Kayo Sports (14-day free trial)
Marseille was slated as the venue for the 2021 Heineken Champions Cup final but the match was moved to Twickenham owing to covid-19 restrictions in France. Some 10,000 fans will be in attendance. (The French city will host the 2022 final instead).
There's no doubt that La Rochelle are the underdogs but the Stade Rochelais have made it to their first European showpiece with a nail-biting 32-23 triumph against Leinster in the semi-finals.
“I had the luck of experiencing a lot of finals," said La Rochelle coach Ronan O'Gara earlier this week. "It’s important to concentrate our energy at 5pm on Saturday. There are not a lot of different things. The club doesn’t have the habit of playing Champions Cup finals but this will be the first and it won’t be the last.”
Munster Rugby legend O'Gara is a canny operator but when it comes to European pedigree, no other Top 14 team comes close to Toulouse. And lets not forget that Stade Toulousain have EPCR European Player of the Year nominee Antoine Dupont in their side. He's tied for top try-scorer in this year's Cup – and has beaten 20 defenders in his four matches.
Can O'Gara's men stop Dupont, beat the oddsmakers and take home the biggest prize in rugby today? Or will it be a record fifth crown for Toulouse? Make sure you know to watch a La Rochelle vs Toulouse live stream from anywhere.
Watch a La Rochelle vs Toulouse free live stream
Good news: there are a number ways to watch La Rochelle vs Toulouse for free. France TV channel FR2 will show the action on a free-to-air basis. If you happen to speak French, c'est bon. If it's English commentary you need, then head over to All 4 for a Champions Cup live stream.
US rugby fans who don't parlez français should check out Peacock – NBC's streaming service. New subscribers get a 7-day free trial. And Aussie viewers should head over to Kayo Sports for a free 14-day trial. Cancel any time in both cases.
Of course, these free streams are only accessible to viewers in the relevant territories. If you're away from home this weekend, simply use a VPN to unblock your local free stream or free trial. We recommend ExpressVPN which you can try risk-free thanks to the 30-day money-back guarantee.
Watch La Rochelle vs Toulouse from abroad using a VPN
Even if you have subscribed to the relevant Champions Cup final rights holders, you won't be able to access them when outside your own country. The service will know your location based on your IP address, and will automatically block your access.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) helps you get around this obstacle. VPNs are a doddle to use and create a private connection between your device and the internet. All the information passing back and forth is entirely encrypted.
There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. As a rule, we’d suggest a paid-for service such as ExpressVPN which offers a 100 per cent risk-free money back guarantee. If you're not happy with the service any time within the first 30-days, then you can cancel with no penalties at all.
UK: La Rochelle vs Toulouse live stream
La Rochelle vs Toulouse will be shown live on Channel 4 for free in the UK. You can tune with your TV or set-top box or head over to the All 4 service for a La Rochelle vs Toulouse free live stream.
The Champions Cup Final is also on BT Sport 2 HD in the UK. Existing BT customers can upgrade to the sport channels for as little as £15 per month. Non-BT customers can buy a no-commitment BT Sport Monthly Pass for £25 and enjoy all four BT Sports channels for 30 days.
Sky TV users can also add BT Sport to their existing package from £30 a month, but that will not include any 4K viewing. It's also worth looking out for bundled Sky Sports and BT Sport deals.
EE mobile customers can get a free 3-month trial of BT Sport by texting SPORT to 150. It's a great watch to catch a La Rochelle vs Toulouse free live stream – plus you can cancel the trial any time.
USA: La Rochelle vs Toulouse live stream
NBC Sports has the exclusive rights to air La Rochelle vs Toulouse in the USA. The network will stream all the action live on its Peacock TV streaming platform and subscription costs just $4.99 a month (with commercials) or $9.99 a month (commercial-free).
Peacock TV gets you full coverage of the Heineken Champions Cup final, as well as selected Premier League soccer games, Premiership Rugby, blockbuster movies and a ton of binge-worthy TV boxsets such as The Office.
Tempted? We don't blame you. Peacock offers a free 7-day trial. After that, you'll be billed $4.99 a month but there's no lock-in contract so you can cancel at any time.
Australia: La Rochelle vs Toulouse live stream
Foxtel's streaming-only platform, Kayo Sports, is the best way to get a La Rochelle vs Toulouse live stream in Oz.
The respected streaming service offers over 50 sports live and on-demand including Six Nations rugby. The Basic package costs $25 a month while Premium, which works across multiple screens, costs $35 a month. Both include a free 14-day trial to get you started. There's no lock-in contract and you can cancel at any time.
Get the VBs in because kick-off is scheduled for 1.45am AEST.
Ireland: La Rochelle vs Toulouse live stream
BT Sport 2 HD is the best place to find Champions Cup rugby in Ireland. La Rochelle vs Toulouse kicks off at 4.45pm. Pre-match coverage begins at 4pm. Irish fans can also watch the match on Virgin Media Two.
Stuck outside of Ireland this weekend? Simply use a VPN to unblock the free live streams. We recommend ExpressVPN which you can try risk-free thanks to the 30-day money-back guarantee.
La Rochelle vs Toulouse: match facts
Toulouse have won the Heineken Champions Cup on four occasions and will be aiming to lift the trophy for a record fifth time on Saturday.
This will be the first time these clubs have met in European competition, but Toulouse have won six of their last seven clashes against La Rochelle.
In total, Toulouse have reached the Heineken Champions Cup final for the seventh time, each of their previous six matches at this stage have been decided by seven points or fewer.
Saturday's Heineken Champions Cup final will be La Rochelle's first tilt at the trophy. They have reached this stage in the Challenge Cup before, however, suffering a 16-36 defeat to ASM Clermont Auvergne in 2018-19.
La Rochelle have won their last four completed matches in the Heineken Champions Cup, their best run in the competition, while Toulouse have also won their last four games.
Toulouse are one of just five sides to maintain a 100 per cent scrum success rate in the Heineken Champions Cup this season, winning each of their 21 scrums, while they’ve also managed to win 29 per cent of scrums on the opposition feed, the best rate of any club.
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