First focused to make its recovery in top 14 since the end of last year, the latter allowed the Lou to revise its ambitions in the CUP challenge up. Winners of the title in 2022 at the expense of Toulon, the Rhonalpins wanted to return to the final.
Whatever the jealous or bad languages say, you should never overcome a competition and even less a possible accession in the final, even if it is only the “small” European cup. So go ask the question to the Montpellier, for whom this famous Cup challenge had been a real salvation board in 2021. At most in the league, the Héraults had experienced a real renaissance on the European scene, to the point of winning the competition by dominating in the final phase of prestigious teams such as Glasgow, Bath and finally Leicester in the final. The Lyonnais know this intoxication well since they were the successors of the Montpellier by winning the edition the following year with, again, a remarkable course during which they dominated Worcester, Glasgow, the Wasps and finally Toulon.
The arsenal supplied by Lyonnais
This year again, Lyonnais have the fangs. At least, their appetite came as they advanced in the competition. At the end of the eighth finals won against the South Africans of the Sharks, the manager Karim Ghezal wanted to be careful: “For the moment, we are in quarters of the challenge and we must play it. We will see. It is true that there are positions where we shoot a little on guys but we manage them too. We are not going to complain.” Except that his players had already made their choice: “They want to play the competition thoroughly and it is by far the most important. We gave ourselves the right to play this match.” Their victory over the Ospreys lawn on April 12 attests. With a workforce yet altered and several absent executives, the Rhodanians have done what necessary to win on the lawn of a team which however had a good third of internationals (Thomas, Lake, Beard, Morgan, Tipuric, Hardy, Edwards, Williams …), and to offer a Franco-French semi-final against Racing 92.
To give yourself the right to compete in a new CUP challenge final, Baptiste Couilloud’s men will be able to rely on a formidable weapon of their arsenal: the balloons worn. Did you know that the Lou is indeed one of the only three teams of the competition to have exceeded thirty meters traveled on average on Maul this season. The Racingmen are therefore warned: if they do not mobilize quickly and well, they may spend a dirty quarter of an hour. The other great strength of this Lyon team is of course its touch. With 91 % success, alignment is one of the most efficient in the competition and its main lessee is called Théo William. The versatile before account indeed twenty captured throws, four more than the very aerial Dylan Cretin. Two men who, in all likelihood, should hold against Racing 92 this Sunday, as well as another weapon of the Lou, the three-quarter Josiah Maraku. Indeed, the New Zealand center shines brightly on the European scene. With three trials marked, he is the best scorer in the Lou in a challenge and has sixteen defenders defeated, the second best score of the team behind the Italian international Monty Ioane. So many offensive assets that suggest that the Lou is armed to go to the end …
