Lyon took advantage of a penalty after the siren by Léo Berdeu on Saturday to win Bordeaux-Bègles (28-26) and the provisional lead of the Top 14 after a start to the second day which saw Pau and Montpellier wake up.
LOU, with a conquering start to the half in the wake of a decisive Baptiste Couilloud, was never behind in the evening against the revamped UBB until the 79th minute and a try from Damian Penaud which gave his team a point.
But in a final ruck, the Girondins were penalised by the referee and then by the Lyon scorer for a success that was, all in all, logical given the nature of the match.
The main contenders for qualification, Toulon, Stade Français and Racing 92, have opened their victory counters.
But Mayol suffered to see his favorites win. Despite the 20 penalties recorded against him, Castres was still ahead on the scoreboard two minutes from the end. But the Varois, long clumsy and poorly inspired, ended up winning thanks to a try from Setariki Tuicuvu and a corner conversion from Enzo Hervé (30-28).
Stade Français had surely imagined another scenario against the promoted Breton team, especially after 20 minutes and the offensive bonus already in the pocket for the Pink Soldiers (17-0).
But the spaces then opened up for the Vannetais, without complexes and rewarded for their spirit of initiative by five tries including the last one by Kitione Kamikamica, synonymous with a defensive bonus for a defeat (34-31), the first point in their history in Top 14 which calls for others.
– Clermont implodes in six minutes –
There were two forced relocations on the program this Saturday. In Créteil, the leader Clermont was determined to confirm its successful debut against Racing 92.
Tight for a long time (13-13 at half-time), this clash between former finalists gave the impression of turning in favour of the Auvergnats after the hour mark following Étienne Fourcade’s try, but ASM imploded in six minutes, conceding three tries and a crippling 17-0 in the final count (33-20).
In Béziers, geographically closer to Montpellier than to Perpignan, which was hosting, USAP came up against a stumbling block, almost insurmountable, which was able to feed on Catalan errors (26-7).
“We were beaten for 80 minutes. We brought our fans to Béziers and… I’m ashamed,” admitted the blood and gold manager Franck Azéma.
Ahead at half-time (16-0) after defending its line tooth and nail, the MHR only cracked once in front of the aptly named Victor Montgaillard.
Finally, the Hameau enjoyed the open derby of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques with its eleven tries and the bonus victory of Pau, who had a lot to be forgiven for after their missed start in Clermont.
Facing Bayonne, who were once again undisciplined, the Béarnais won by a wide margin (51-29) by crossing the line seven times, with a double from Aymeric Luc, trained at Aviron, who offered the offensive bonus to his new colours after the siren.
Lyon have a strong chance of being deprived of their place at the top on Sunday after the clash between Toulouse, the defending champion, and La Rochelle. A reunion less than three months after their semi-final that the Maritimes, reduced to 13 after two exclusions, still have in their throats.
rap/cyj
