The total for Castres, winner with the bonus from the Bulls (49-10)

Castres offers a large improved victory (49-10) against the Blue Bulls on Saturday for its third Champions Cup match. After a mixed start, the Tarnais took the measure of the South Africans, short of rhythm, and patiently took the upper hand to finish with a bang with six tries scored, including three from a fiery Rémy Baget, and the offensive bonus . Qualification for the final stages will be played at Saracens next Sunday.

The OC had to overcome headwinds before finding the solution against the Blue Bulls. The South Africans, who entered the match better despite a reshuffled squad, confiscated the ball and trapped the Tarnais in their camp. Hampered at the foot by the gusts blowing on Pierre-Fabre, the locals conceded the opener from Jan-Hendrick Wessels on a carried ball (7th). But Castres then woke up, and found the fault on their first highlight to equalize thanks to Geoffrey Palis in the corner (18th). The debates were then balanced, with Tarnais more enterprising but penalized by some inaccuracies, like Pierre Popelin with slippery hands until the break.

The match then came down to a scorers’ duel until the hour mark, between two XVs who neutralized each other in the scoring areas. In this game, Jérémy Fernandez performed perfectly, offering himself a 5/5 on the foot to put the CO in front and keep the South Africans at bay. Before the Bulls’ lack of rhythm – they had not played since December 21 – cost them dearly.

Increasingly in difficulty facing the Castres waves, the South Africans broke down in great depths at the end of the match. And in particular against a man: Rémy Baget, who made his support and his vision of the game speak to splash the last 20 minutes and capsize Pierre-Fabre with a resounding hat-trick, at the construction then the conclusion of a beautiful movement collective (64th), by stealing an opponent’s pass like a fox (74th) then by throwing himself into a low-footed play between the poles (79th). Muzzled for a long time, the Castres finished with a bang, with a smile just spoiled by the exit of Geoffrey Palis, escorted off the field after his right knee turned badly.

With this second victory in three European matches, Castres moves up to 4th place in group C ahead of Stade Français, before the last match at Saracens next Sunday. The Bulls for their part will try to avoid zero points, by hosting the Parisians the day before.