It was the resumption this weekend for the Top 14 with the first day of the 2022-2023 season. While Lou won at Brive (31-27), Racing 92 beat Castres (25-19), Toulon crushed Bayonne (40-25). For its part, Pau won against Perpignan (16-14), Stade Français won against ASM (24-18) while reigning French champion Montpellier was beaten by La Rochelle ( 26-22). Toulouse overcame Bordeaux in a fiery Garonne derby.
Lyon dominates Brive
Le Lou won against Brive 27-31, for the first of his new coach Xavier Garbajosa. Winner of the European Challenge last year, Lyon did not do anything wrong on the ground of the Corréziens. If Brive scored points on all his attempts to incursion into the Lyon camp, it must be said that they were few. Lyon dominated the game, punishing the Brivistes who can consider themselves very lucky to have collected a defensive bonus point thanks to a penalty try granted after the siren.
Toulon trembles but does not bend
Regrets for Aviron Bayonnais, which lost in Toulon 40-25 in front of 16,000 spectators. The promoted Basque did not deserve against the RCT, in the lead at the break, and it was finally Charles Ollivon, former Bayonnais, who sounded the Toulon revolt. While he was holding out for the Varois, Rowing ended up conceding four tries, including three outnumbered after Mikautadze’s yellow card in the 53rd minute. A final score, which does not really reflect the face of the meeting, against Varois who miss the offensive bonus.
Racing 92 on the wire
Racing 92, author of an unequal performance, made a success of its comeback this Saturday in its den of the Arena of Nanterre, by coming to the end with difficulty and in the last minutes (25-19) of the finalist of last season, Castres , opening the Top 14. Dominated by pragmatic Castres, authors of the first two tries of the meeting, Racing, deprived of many players injured or called up for selection, found salvation in its young guard, personalized by the twirling Enzo Benmegal . After a nerve-racking final, it was finally a try by Olivier Klemenszak three minutes from the end that finally freed Racing.
Laborious victory for Stade Français
Laborious, the teammates of Morgan Parra, now at the Stade Français after 13 seasons spent with the “Jaunards”, managed to overthrow Clermont (24-18) thanks in particular to the foot of their opening half Joris Segonds, author of 14 points at him alone. With a renewed group, and a brand new state of mind, the Jaunards could have won on the outside, but Jono Gibbes’ men lacked control at the end of the game, even letting the defensive bonus point slip away. Deploring the “apathetic” side of his team, Clermont captain Arthur Iturria regretted that ASM had “not been killer enough”.
Montpellier held in check at La Rochelle
The European champion La Rochelle snatched the first shock of the season from the French champion Montpellier (26-22), at the cost of a battle at an uneven pace but with suspense at the end, Saturday evening. After a defeat at the opening of the championship last season against Stade Toulousain, Stade Rochelais did not miss this time at the start. Two tries in favor of the Maritimes, only one for the Montpellier residents, scored by third line Clément Doumenc. It didn’t take much because Philippe Saint-André’s players were still leading three minutes from time. With a lot of realism, also suffering, but facing the local fray, they ended up cracking for the greatest relief of Marcel-Deflandre who we knew more serene in the face of this narrow victory. .
Perpignan bows to Pau
Pau, long battered by a catchy Perpignan team, won a precious success (16-14) in view of the fight to stay on Saturday at the Hameau at the opening of the Top 14. After a match without relief, Sébastien Piqueronies’ men avoided the trap set by the Catalans who were still leading by eight points (6-14) at the start of + money-time +.
But Patrick Arlettaz’s men gave in to the powerful Joseph (74th) before conceding a penalty converted by Henry two minutes from the siren which freed Béarn. They bring back a point and surely a lot of frustration. Before this happy ending, this match was the scene of a festival of faults in the rules, technical faults both in the current game and in conquest with penalized scrums and lost touches.
Toulouse wins the Garonne derby by one point
Toulouse won the Garonne derby by a hair’s breadth in Bordeaux (26-25). A colorful and tense match this Sunday evening, at the end of the day. A frustrating defeat on one side, a victory for realism on the other. In a breathtaking end to the match, Union Bordeaux-Bègles had three penalties to go back in front but Matthieu Jalibert, twice, and Maxime Lucu, from very far after the expulsion of Alban Placines (77), missed the target.