The last shock of this 7th day will pit La Rochelle against Union Bordeaux-Bègles this Sunday at 9 p.m. At the opening two men who know each other well will face each other since Antoine Hastoy and Matthieu Jalibert will meet on Marcel Deflandre’s lawn.
Hastoy, the quiet strength
It seems a long time ago when Antoine Hastoy played for the Pau Section. However, it wasn’t that long ago. Arriving at Stade Rochelais during the 2022/2023 season, the 26-year-old fly-half quickly managed to establish himself within Ronan O’Gara’s squad. In La Rochelle he was eagerly awaited for his qualities in the running game but also and especially for its ease with poles and logically imposed himself number 10 in the back after an express acclimatization. Last season he accumulated 28 math sheets for 26 starts and a total playing time of 2016 minutes and 329 points scored… He makes an impression in the final phase of the Champions Cup and naturally prolongs the pleasure at the opening in the final phase of Top 14 !
The bottom line is that Antoine Hastoy fits perfectly with the game put in place by La Rochelle and brings a certain form of serenity to this team by distributing the game precisely. He is not the type of player to indulge in long runs and will always prefer to create than to take the breaches but it is nevertheless oh so precious in the La Rochelle system. An opener at the service of his team if we had to summarize!
Jalibert, x factor
Opposite, Matthieu Jalibert is a bit different. Well established in the Bordeaux squad where he had his first match sheets in 2017, the fly-half is one of the bosses of UBB. And if we find some points in common between the two men, we must still admit that the Bordeaux player’s style of play is much more offensive. A game that is sometimes more individualistic. But don’t see the pejorative side of the term here. Unlike his counterpart of the day, Jalibert will tend to try, to offer an ambitious game offensively to find the slightest space in the defense. And this is generally very successful.
He is capable of unblocking a situation with a flash or by hitting precise foot passes for his partners without forgetting the little “over the top” that he loves so much. It remains to be seen which of these two will have the last word in the Atlantic derby. The two openers, teammates in the French team and opponents in the Top 14 could in any case play a valuable role this Sunday evening…
Given the weather conditions, which currently do not show the slightest drop of rain in the La Rochelle sky this evening, everything suggests that these two teams will be able to let go on the offensive level. And in this game, it’s hard to believe that Jalibert won’t have the last word. The Bordeaux fly-half, who suffered a series of physical problems last season, seems ready to put his best face forward, especially after the defeat against Pau last weekend.
2023-11-19 19:26:06
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