La Rochelle win it and West sends the ball into touch up near halfway.

This has been a fast and frantic opening five minutes, with plenty of boot to ball and Casey managed to stick the ball into the La Rochelle 22.

The hosts will have the throw, but there's pressure on it.

La Rochelle will in throw but John Hodnett is there to put his hands on the ball and Munster win the penalty at the ruck.

Jonathan Bradley
BBC Sport NI Journalist at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre

In touch or not...La Rochelle certainly don't LOOK like a side who haven't won in their past eight games.

That was a brilliant move and they were inches away from the perfect start.

Munster win the scrum after the ball got trapped on the ground.

It's good to see Craig Casey back for Munster after he was forced to miss the Six Nations, and he pops the ball into the scrum.

Jack Crowley looks to spread the play with a crossfield kick in his own 22, but he overcooks it and it's over the head of Calvin Nash and into touch.

Well, well, well.

The locals don't like it but it was clear as day on the replay.

What drama - and we've only a minute played!

Munster have the throw just inside their own 22.

Oh, hang on. We're going to the TMO.

Did Thomas put a foot in touch as he scampered away.

West had already missed the conversion, but this could be chalked off.

Munster need a few goes to take the kick-off, almost as if there were a few nerves.

The old veteran Peter O'Mahony is there to settle things down.

Ihaia West gets us under way in the evening sunshine.

Let's go!

Simon Zebo
Former Munster and Ireland winger on Premier Sports

These are the days you live for as a player. This is where the really great players stand up.

There's an absolute racket as the teams come out of the tunnel.

Let's hope the game matches the atmosphere. This should be a belter.

Quarter-final draw (ties to be played on the weekend 11/12/13 April):

• Bordeaux-Begles/Ulster v La Rochelle/Munster
• Toulon v Toulouse/Sale Sharks
• Leinster v Glasgow Warriors/Leicester Tigers
• Northampton Saints v Castres

Semi-final draw (ties to be played on the weekend 2/3/4 May):

• Bordeaux/Ulster/La Rochelle/Munster v Toulon/Toulouse/Sale
• Leinster/Glasgow/Leicester Tigers v Northampton/Castres

Jonathan Bradley
BBC Sport NI Journalist at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre

The game is front page news here in La Rochelle, not least because of the recent struggles of the 2022 and 2023 Champions Cup winners.

Without a win since the first week of January, some of the local fans we spoke to today were more concerned with the threat of relegation from the Top 14 than the prospect of adding a third star to their jersey.

With four home wins from four in the last-16 so far this weekend, La Rochelle's domestic form gives the visitors real hope here this evening.

As the headline says, a game "not to be missed" is in store.

Image source, BBC Sport

As we’ve already touched on, La Rochelle secured a home knockout tie by finishing as best of the rest behind Leinster in Pool Two.

Ronan O’Gara’s side secured a narrow away win over Bath in their opener, which was followed up by a big victory over Bristol Bears.

The third round of fixtures saw Leinster edge a thriller, and although Benetton defeated La Rochelle in the final match the French outfit had a to secure second place with a superior points difference over their Italian opponents.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Munster finished the Pool stages as the ‘top’ away seed, meaning they were ninth of the 16 teams in the knockout stages.

They actually finished the Pool stages with one point more than La Rochelle, but the French side snuck into second place while Munster were third behind Northampton Saints and Castres.

Munster won two of their four matches, with comfortable victories over Stade Francais and Saracens at Thomond Park.

Their two defeats came away to Northampton and Castres and were both by two-point margins. They will be hoping to make it a third time lucky on the road.

Jonathan Bradley
BBC Sport NI Journalist at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre

Image source, Inpho

A huge game in its own right, of course, but there's no doubting the central story here in La Rochelle today.

Ronan O'Gara, a Thomond Park legend who won two Heineken Cups as a player, is one of the dominant figures in the recent history of Munster Rugby.

His exploits at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre have been watched from afar by those who cheered him on through 240 provincial appearances but today he comes up against his old side as a head coach for the first time.

BBC Sport NI spoke to his old Ireland coach, Eddie O'Sullivan, about how the former fly-half will be feeling.

"He's a Munster man through and through," said O'Sullivan.

"He played all his life as a player with Munster, but at the same time he's got a job to do and he's in a tight spot at the moment."

Read more.

Image source, Getty Images

It's worth remembering that Peter O'Mahony will retire at the end of the season, meaning defeat today would bring his European career to a close.

He was given some welcome by the travelling support, who were making plenty of noise pre-match.

What a legend for both Munster and Ireland.

Peter O'Mahony has returned to the Munster team for Saturday's Investec Champions Cup last-16 trip to La Rochelle.

The 35-year-old flanker has not played since making his final Ireland appearance against Italy in the Six Nations on 15 March.

O'Mahony is joined in the back row by Gavin Coombes and John Hodnett, who had been a doubt because of a thigh injury.

Second row Jean Kleyn, full-back Thaakir Abrahams and wing Andrew Smith also return to the line-up, but centre Alex Nankivell is suspended after Munster's unsuccessful appeal against his red card in last week's win over Connacht.

Nankivell is replaced in midfield by Sean O'Brien, while Craig Casey and Jack Crowley are retained in the half-backs.

La Rochelle, who were European champions in 2022 and 2023, welcome back scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow.

La Rochelle: Leyds; Nowell, Thomas, Seuteni, Bosmorin; West, Kerr-Barlow; Wardi, Bourgarit, Atonio; Lavault, Skelton; Botia, Jegou, Alldritt (capt).

Replacements: Lespiaucq; Kaddouri, Juntlia, Dillane, Cancoriet, Haddad, Hastoy, Favre.

Munster: Abrahams; Nash, Farrell, O'Brien, Smith; Crowley, Casey; Loughman, Barron, Jager; Kleyn, Beirne (capt); O'Mahony, Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements: N Scannell, J Wycherley, Archer, F Wycherley, Ahern, Murray, R Scannell, Kendellen.

Image source, Getty Images

The scene is set.