Top 14. Stade Toulousain wins in Pau and temporarily takes control of the championship

The bad patch between September and October seems forgotten for the French champion who regained color with the return of Antoine Dupont, still dominant, and that of Jack Willis, decisive and precious, during the victory of Stade Toulousain in Pau in Top 14 (14-22), Saturday October 19.

The Section, deprived of its usual third line, tried to compete with its weapons, but it came up against the realism and the defensive pressure of visitors determined not to give up anything along the way. Led by their Olympic champion at 7, the Toulouse residents did not miss their start.

Absent for three matches punctuated by two defeats, Willis rewarded his team by concluding a first action born from a penalty quickly played by hand by… Dupont (4′). For a quarter of an hour, the Section did not see the ball but knew how to keep its back to avoid taking more than a penalty, notably with a nice return from Jack Maddocks on Matthis Lebel launched.

A stroke of genius from Dupont

After the storm passed, the Béarnais insisted upwind and following a series of pick and go near the visiting line, Daniel Bibi Biziwu found the fault (7-10, 2′). Not enough, however, to shake this Stadium which rested its hands on the ball and finished a second time behind the line by Julien Marchand after a penalty and a carried ball (34′).

After the break, we had to wait for a stroke of genius from Dupont, author of a pass behind the back for Guillaume Cramont to see Ugo Mola’s men take off (7-22, 64′). Shortly before, an inspiration at the foot of the Toulouse scrum-half intended for Ange Capuozzo could not meet the same fate, the Italian international failing to flatten.

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With the victory almost acquired, the Rouge et Noir tried everything possible to improve it but left spaces, notably to Maddocks who crossed to serve Sacha Zégueur, in the relay to send Thibault Daubagna behind the line (77′). Too late, however, to hope to reap the defensive bonus. Before the shock of the day on Sunday at Marcel-Deflandre, Toulouse is one point ahead of UBB.