While waiting for the shock of the 24th day of the Top 14, Saturday April 30 (9:05 p.m.), between Toulouse and La Rochelle, the race for the final stages continued. Lyon managed a very good operation by slapping the leader Montpellier (43-20). Here is the LOU in the Top 6 with Racing and Castres who respectively won in Pau (21-42) and Biarritz (13-48). This Tarn victory in Aguiléra definitively condemns Biarrots to the Pro D2. Dam for relegation, Perpignan gave itself a reprieve by beating Brive (27-10) and is only three points away from Corréziens.
The good shot of the LOU
In Gerland, Lyon made short work of the Montpellier leader and found themselves firmly established in the Top 6 with the play-offs in sight. By combining defense and conquest, the Lyonnais erased the humiliation of the last home game against Toulon (10-43). On its first four incursions into the Hérault camp, the LOU scored two tries and a penalty. With three additional tries in the second period, Lyon won an improved success that seemed unexpected before the meeting.
“At the accounting level, it’s a good operation. We played as we had imagined. There were a few unnecessary mistakes but it’s a controlled, controlled game”, welcomed Pierre Mignoni, the manager of Lyon. The MHR was scuttled just before the break due to a red card inflicted on international right pillar Mohamed Haouas, guilty of an illegal charge on Lyon back Clément Laporte.
Racing and Castres towards the final stages
Lyon’s victory did not only make people happy. By inviting itself into the Top 6, the LOU put pressure on the various contenders for the final stages. And they are many. This is particularly the case for the Castres who traveled to Biarritz, on the verge of relegation. After 32 minutes, the CO had done the hardest part by leading with the offensive bonus. Enough to send the soundtrack to Pro D2 and get closer to the play-offs. Despite a Basque burst in the second period, the Tarnais marched on their opponents (13-48) and settled in 3rd provisional place.
Racing let the Pau storm pass before it could breathe. Picked cold at the Hamlet by a try after 38 seconds, the Ile-de-France residents ended up taking the measure of the Section which has nothing more to play in this end of the championship, except its role as referee. Passed in the lead just before the break, Racing definitely took the measure of Pau at the end of the match with a very important offensive bonus (21-42).
Not yet eliminated from the play-off race, Clermont has little hope after its laborious success against Stade Français (29-26). Largely in the lead at the break thanks to a double from van Tonder, the Clermontois saw the Parisians pass them in second half. If he snatched the victory at the end of the match, the ASM may regret the absence of a bonus against an opponent already on vacation.
Biarritz in Pro D2, Perpignan on borrowed time
In the Basque Country, we had already made up our minds. A year after rising to the top flight, the BO were on course for relegation to the bottom tier. It was therefore Castres who took on the task of pressing the button for the elevator by crushing Biarritz in front of their audience (48-13). With 15 points behind the penultimate in the standings, Perpignan, two days before the end of the regular season, the promoted Basque is condemned to finish in last place and to relaunch in a new reconstruction site.
In Perpignan, the hope remains to avoid the accession-relegation barrage against the unfortunate finalist of the Pro D2. Despite an early try from Brive, who has not won away since January 2021, USAP has shown its strength of character. Like their captain Acebes, author of the equalizing try after a breakthrough by Lam, the Catalans were looking for a precious success. Faasalele scored twice but Perpignan ran out of gas to pocket the offensive bonus point. Here they are back to 3 pts from CAB two days from the end, but with a trip to Castres before receiving UBB. The end of the season will be difficult to negotiate.