Leinster and Munster's Champions Cup round-three opponents La Rochelle and Toulon faced off in the Top 14 on Sunday with Ronan O’Gara’s men scoring 10 tries in 66-0 victory.
The 2022 and 2023 European winners, who face Leinster on Saturday evening at Aviva Stadium (5.30pm), named an experienced 23, while the visitors to the Stade Marcel-Deflandre sent a largely second-string panel that included 10 players from the academy.
Scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec helped himself to a brace of tries and kicked seven conversions with the hosts taking a 35-0 lead in at half-time.
Replacement lock Will Skelton scored a try as La Rochelle bounced back from a 60-14 thrashing away to Top 14 leaders Toulouse in the previous round.
Uini Atoni, Levani Botia, Gregory Aldritt, Jack Nowell, Dillyn Leyds and Ulupano Seuteni also featured as O’Gara’s side moved up to seventh.
Four-time champions Leinster sit second in Pool 3, behind Stormers on points difference after wins over Leicester and Harlequins, while Stade Rochelais beat the Tigers and lost to the South Africans.
Leinster found themselves in a close URC game against Connacht in Dublin at the weekend before surging past the Westerners in the second half for a 52-17 victory.
Leo Cullen’s side lost a European semi-final and two finals to La Rochelle in the space of three seasons between 2021 and 2023 but have had the better of recent meetings, beating their French opponents twice away in pool-stage games and in a quarter-final meeting in Dublin in April 2024.
They face Bayonne away in round four.
Toulon, who host Munster on Sunday afternoon (1pm Irish time), are in fifth in the Top 14 after the loss.
Clayton McMillan’s side, who beat Gloucester and lost to Bath, are third in Pool 2, ahead of Toulon on points difference.
The English Premiership champions sit top on six points with the other five teams on five points after winning one and losing one game to date.
Toulon beat Bath but lost to Edinburgh in their games to date.
Munster, who lost 28-3 away to Ulster on Friday, host Castres in their final pool game on Saturday week.
