FRENCH COLUMN
JAMES HARRINGTON

AN IMPRESSIVE milestone at Stade Marcel Deflandre was reached last night, where La Rochelle hosted their 100th sell-out match in a row – either side of the period of pandemic restrictions – a run stretching back to January 2, 2016.
Since that game nine years ago, a 25-21 win over Castres Olympique, just shy of 1.6 million people have made their way through the turnstiles of the ground that now welcomes 16,689 fans every match.
The club has an impressive 14,250 season ticket holders. There is, the club report, a 7,000-name waiting list ...