Whether scored in the 5th, 15th or 40th minute, a try is always worth five points (plus two in the event of a conversion) but conceding one at the very start of the match or just before half-time can ruin your legs. or undermine morale. Against Aviron Bayonnais this Saturday, the Bretons experienced both. First Lucas Martin (6', conversion by Joris Segonds) then Sireli Maqala (40', also converted try) between the poles, after being served high by Cheikh Tiberghien, hurt the locals at two crucial moments of the match: the start and end of the first period. The Vannes outlay was ten points at half-time.
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Bayonne's indiscipline had no impact
Two yellow cards are what the Bayonnais collected in the first period. Addressed to English star Manu Tuilagi in the 15th minute and to third row Esteban Capilla in the 27th, they had no impact (or very little) on the progress of the match. The first period of numerical superiority produced nothing. During the second, Lafage punished Capilla's mistake with three points and at the end of the superiority, Paul Surano scored the first Vannes try of the match (11-14, 37'). But despite these two periods at 15 against 14 and the accumulated fatigue which must have weighed later on the Bayonnais, Vannes never got back in front (with a penalty, Lafage had scored the first points of the match in the 4th minute) . In all, Bayonne received 22 penalties…
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A second period without madness
Trailing by ten points at the break, Vannes should have wrapped up the match as it already did in the Top 14. Instead, the Bretons only scored one penalty (by Lafage), very quickly however (14 -21, 42'). They tried, notably led by Cyril Blanchard, author of a great breakthrough around the hour mark, but in vain. And with the scrums in the 22 Basque meters which followed but none allowed to go to queen. The drizzle obviously didn't help. But replacement hooker Pat Leafa, after a maul following a touch, scored the try (converted) of hope in the 80th minute. But the score thus reduced to 21-27 was also the final score. The Bretons therefore missed the defensive bonus by one point.
