Although the match ended entirely in favor of Rochelle, Beyoncé held on for a 13-12 victory over the reigning European champions. Jean-Dougère’s 28th win in a row for the Basques. Antoine Hestoy missed the winning penalty in the final seconds for the Maritimes.
In this top 14, which is very crowded this season, even the slightest mistake will see you lose several places in the rankings. Beyoncé and Rochelle therefore had the ambition to win this evening to stay in good momentum which would allow them to enter the top 6 as finalists. In third place at the start of this 19th day, the Maritimes managed to achieve a third consecutive success after January 2022, when their garden master Beyoncé had to pick up points to keep in touch with the leading pack.
The first half of the match in favor of the Basques
Aviron Beyoncé faced a small storm during the first 5 minutes of the game, then slowly but surely, they regained control of the match. Bayonne therefore logically led the score at the break (10 to 0), as pragmatism allowed him to score his only try after validating a great collective sequence executed by Tatafu. In the game, it was CL et Blanc who led the way against a hesitant La Rochelle team lacking confidence, especially with his hooker Latu in the touchline sector, who made the evening even more complicated in the throwing drills.
A stubbornness that almost pays off
Despite the unfavorable score, the Maritimes’ display showed a certain determination and mastery that was hard to find in the game put on by Ronan O’Gara’s team. Getting better and better as the minutes ticked by, the Yellow and Black were unable to get back on track, preferring to play penalty kicks instead of taking points on the feet. As the minutes ticked by (13 to 0 in the 66th minute of the game), the Stade Rochelles supporters may have lost hope but Cancoriat’s effort almost reignited the suspense (13/5, 68th). Very undisciplined, Beyoncé were content to defend but did crack for a second time after a quickly played penalty by Tanga Mangane was finished off by Alldritt (13/12, 73rd). Unnerved, Gregory Patat’s men saw their capital confidence crumble in the face of the two-time European champions who were gaining ground at every turn.
The turning point of the match finally came in the 78th minute of the game when Antoine Hestoy found the right post on a penalty due to a silly foul by Scholtz seconds earlier. As the 14,000 Jean-Dougère crowd watched the ball bounce straight, it felt like the unbeaten streak that had been going on since January 2022 was about to continue for a few more days.
A ranking that couldn’t be stricter
This result tightens this Top 14 where there are 8 teams in 6 points between third and 10th place. In this lot, we find La Rochelle in 5th place and Bayonne in 9th place.
