La Rochelle as a boss
La Rochelle closed the first leg on Saturday with a new major success in Agen (43-13) which allowed it to take the lead in the middle of the championship and to position itself as a real candidate for Brennus.
There was no photo between the maritime leader, concerned, determined, who confirmed his good dispositions, and the red lantern from Agen who had the merit of scoring the first and the last try of this match without suspense, marked by a treble from Pierre Bourgarit and a double from Grégory Alldritt.
In total, for their third victory of the season out of Marcel-Deflandre, Jono Gibbes’ men have reached the promised land of their hosts, still fanny, six times in this championship, leaving little room for the weak.
If the SUA had deluded almost half time at Racing 92 before exploding last week, it only lasted a quarter of an hour this time, the time for the La Rochelle machine to adjust and reach the break with already the offensive bonus in its purse (8-29).
The relentless UBB at home
Bordeaux-Bègles, which remained on two setbacks in Top 14, returned to success on Saturday in front of Toulon (31-18), for the first match of the year 2021, which allows it to stay in contact with the qualifying places.
Under pressure, the UBB reacted well by controlling its subject, which had not often happened to it this season against a tenor of the championship. Imperial in Mayol, the RCT still does not display the same qualities in export and its only victory so far, won in Agen, has not done little in Gironde, despite a rather domineering melee and more power. His indiscipline still played tricks on him.
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Decisive entries for Toulouse residents
The Toulouse Stadium, decisive at the end of the match thanks to its internationals, consolidated its second place by winning (16-9) Saturday in Montpellier, in full doubt, during the 13th day of Top 14.
The Toulouse have a fifth consecutive victory in the Top 14, the seventh in all competitions, and continue on their formidable momentum.
Ugo Mola’s plan worked perfectly. By betting on the freshness of the internationals Antoine Dupont, Thomas Ramos, Julien Marchand … entered in the heart of the second period (55th), the Toulouse coach has won his bet and allowed his team to obtain a logical victory.
Nine minutes from the end of a long uncertain and closed match (9-9), the last French champion scored the only try of the match through the number 8 Antoine Miquel (71), in the relay of a breakaway from the international scrum half Dupont
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Rowing bayonnais is affected by the British variant of the coronavirus
Bayonne, which could not play the last two days of Top 14 due to several cases of Covid-19, was affected by the British variant of the virus, the Basque club confirmed on Saturday. The cases of Covid-19 which have affected Rowing since Christmas week do indeed come from the British strain of the virus, contracted during the trip to Leicester in the European Challenge on December 19, said Rowing bayonnais.
Two new cases appeared Thursday, one among the players, another in the staff, bringing the number of contaminations to ten. All are asymptomatic. The last tests carried out on Saturday were negative. On Saturday, the regional health agency (ARS) made new arrangements by closing the club’s facilities for a period of seven additional days since the last case identified, i.e. until Thursday, January 7 inclusive.
The match scheduled for Toulon the next day counting for the 14th day of the Top 14 has a good chance of being also postponed, Yanncick Bru’s team having been deprived of training since December 23. “It is out of the question (to go to Toulon), it is the health of my players,” warned President Philippe Tayeb, who does not take offense: “we are compromising our season”, allusion to the two postponements of the Rowing matches against Castres (December 27) and Pau (January 2).
“We asked our players to be vigilant, to isolate themselves, and they did. And now, we find ourselves in this situation because the protocol of the EPCR (organizer of the European Cup) is not the same ”, continued
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Castres gets rid of the LOU
Outnumbered from the 3rd minute, Castres managed the feat of winning 15 to 14 at the expense of Lyon, which conceded its second defeat in a row, Saturday at the Stade de Gerland in the match of the 13th day of the Top 14.
The offensive bonus snatched in the last moments with the try of Charlie Ngatai (80th) really appears to be little consolation for the LOU already beaten in Brive last week (12-8), a defeat which had ended a period invincibility of seven matches.
The Castres, who changed management during the week, with the appointment as head coach of Pierre-Henry Broncan, evolved 76 minutes to fourteen against fifteen after the red card inflicted on center Yann David for a tackle at the ‘shoulder on Lyonnais Josh Tuisova (4th).
Thanks to this success, the third away this season, the Tarnais (12th) have twenty points in the standings and cede the penultimate place in the standings to Montpellier. For their part, the Lyonnais remain in fifth place, with thirty points, before the matches on Sunday.
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