Alofa Alofa scores double to help La Rochelle secure memorable 37-25 win over Toulouse in France

FORMER Waratahs winger Alofa Alofa has inspired La Rochelle to a memorable 37-25 victory over four-time European champions Toulouse in France.

Waratahs v Brumbies Semi Final 2014. Waratahs player Alofa Alofa on the burst. IWWTAHS.

FORMER Waratahs winger Alofa Alofa has inspired La Rochelle to a memorable 37-25 victory over four-time European champions Toulouse in France’s Top 14.

Scrum-half Jean Audy contributed 22 points with the boot to help La Rochelle secure its first victory in the Top 14 this term after promotion.

It wasn’t all happy days for Aussies in France though, with James O’Connor’s Toulon suffering a shock 17-10 defeat to Racing-Metro. Fellow former Wallabies Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell missed the match.

Toulouse burst out of the blocks and former All Black hooker Corey Flynn was on hand to touch down for a try in the seventh minute which was converted by his compatriot Luke McAlister.

However the hosts, showing more fight than they had done in conceding nine tries to Toulon last weekend, hit back almost immediately as their evergreen 38-year-old Fijian veteran Sireli Bobo went over for a five pointer which was converted by Audy.

La Rochelle's Fijian winger Sireli Bobo scores a try against Toulouse at the Marcel Deflandre Stadium.

La Rochelle, though, were creaking whenever they came under pressure from Toulouse and they conceded a second try as Samoan lock Joe Tekori broke two tackles and just managed with his outstretched hand to touch it down on the line — McAlister converted for 14-7 after just 17 minutes.

Audy reduced the deficit to just a point with two sweetly-struck penalties but the 29-year-old former Bayonne and Montauban scrum-half then missed a good opportunity to put the hosts into the lead as he sent a penalty wide of the posts on the half-hour mark.

McAlister, though, made no mistake a minute later to make it 17-13 but on the stroke of half-time Audy slotted over a penalty to leave the two sides just a point apart.

The second-half was a highly entertaining affair, Audy giving the hosts an early lead 19-17 with a penalty before McAlister replied with a try on his return to the team for a 22-19 lead.

However, the match really turned on its head when Flynn was sin-binned in the 56th minute for obstruction and La Rochelle scored 11 points in quick succession.

The outstanding Audy was at the heart of it, scoring two penalties and then creating the first of Alofa’s two tries with a superbly judged kick into the try area where the 23-year-old ex-Tah caught it with an athletic leap and touched down.

Toulouse's Thierry Dusautoir is stopped by La Rochelle's Vincent Peloon.

McAlister reduced the deficit with a penalty but the hosts’ tails were well and truly up and Alofa, who left Australia after helping the Waratahs win their first Super Rugby title earlier this month, rounded off a move that was started by the indefatigable Bobo inside his own 22.

Audy converted to great roars from the home crowd and they more than held their own in the final nine minutes to record a deserved victory.

Later on Saturday (local time) Racing-Metro took away the final unbeaten record in the French Top 14 with a 17-10 victory over champions Toulon.

James O’Connor, who on Friday was unveiled by the Queensland Reds as a signing for 2015, started at fullback for Toulon and scored an early try but it wasn’t enough to spark his side.