Stade Toulousain, the two-time defending champion, has already taken the lead in the Top 14 thanks to its victory against La Rochelle (35-27), which resisted it for a long time on Sunday at the end of the 2nd day.
Toulouse is the only team along with Lyon to have started the season with two wins, but first place in the standings is theirs thanks to the offensive bonus point they won last weekend from Vannes (43-18).
An opponent of another calibre appeared at the Ernest-Wallon stadium, but Stade Rochelais, as every time in recent years in the matches that count, once again suffered the law of its black (and red) beast.
The Toulousains extended their unbeaten run at home in the championship to 33 matches (31 wins, 2 draws), which the Maritimes had already seriously threatened at the beginning of June (31-31).
La Rochelle took advantage of the sterile occupation of Ugo Mola’s men, who were too clumsy, to score the first try of the match, following a great breakthrough by Ulupano Seuteni concluded by Teddy Thomas (19th), replaced in the center in the absence of Jonathan Danty, victim of a concussion.
Under the eyes of their scrum-half and Olympic champion Antoine Dupont, celebrated the day before in Paris, the European champions from Toulouse quickly reacted with two tries in quick succession from Tongan centre Pita Ahki (23rd) and international second row Thibaud Flament (26th).
Their wide territorial domination was rewarded with a third try, from the powerful centre Pierre-Louis Barassi (40th) just before the break, during which the La Rochelle manager Ronan O’Gara changed everything.
The Irishman replaced six of his eight forwards in one go, with only third rows Grégory Alldritt and Judicaël Cancoriet surviving this large early turnover.
It bore fruit at first as his men took the lead thanks to a try from one of the entrants, pillar Aleksandre Kuntelia (51st), and the second staff from Thomas, after a new breakthrough from Seuteni (56th, 25-27).
But like in the semi-final last season (two red cards), they paid for their indiscipline and the yellow card of their Australian giant Will Skelton.
His opposite number Emmanuel Meafou, of the same calibre, scored in his absence on a touchline combination (68th) and gave his team some breathing space in a tense end to the match.
The Toulousains, winners without being flamboyant, honoured until the end the memory of the young Medhi Narjissi, a player from their training centre who tragically disappeared at sea during the summer, to whom a heartbreaking tribute was paid just before kick-off.
sdu/obo
Related News :