TOPS/FLOPS – The activity of Davit Niniashvili, the regrets of Léo Berdeu, and the difficulties of the touchline at Stade Toulousain… find the highlights and flops of the draw between Lyon and Toulouse (17-17).
TOPS
Davit Niniashvili, master of the air… but not only
The Lyonnais will regret it greatly. Departing for La Rochelle next season, the Georgian winger once again showed the full extent of his talent to the spectators at the Stade Gerland during the draw between Lyon and Toulouse (17-17). The LOU had focused on high balls and was able to count on its nugget to dominate all the duels, or almost. Impeccable at high altitude against Blair Kinghorn in particular, Niniashvili also showed his speed. It's him who puts pressure on Capuozzo on Ioane's try (40'). He came very close to scoring a try as soon as he returned from the locker room (41') and above all he was the author of a superb return on Vergé in front of his goal to prevent a Toulouse try. Hyperactive in the first period, he slowed down during the second act.
Bituniyata constantly moving forward
For a long time he was one of the only Toulouse players to survive in the middle of a group of average performances from the reigning French champions. The Fijian had to leave the pitch prematurely due to an injury but he had time in 58 minutes to cover 76 meters, beat seven defenders and make two crossings. He imposed his power and hurt the LOU defense which had long been able to contain Toulouse's talents.
Jelonch and the Toulouse third line sounded the revolt
This is perhaps the match least controlled by Toulouse this season. Long dominated but above all not very dangerous, the Toulouse residents waited for the second half and fresh blood to react. In the wake of Anthony Jelonch who is gradually regaining his sensations (15/16 in tackles, 39 meters gained), Alexandre Roumat and Théo Ntamack have given freshness to the Rouge et Noir. If Jelonch failed to flatten in the Lyon goal, Théo Ntamack scored the equalizer while Alexandre Roumat stabilized an overdue touch.
FLOPS
The regrets of Léo Berdeu
He gave his team victory against UBB at the start of the season. This evening, he scored another 12 points and delivered a good performance overall. But he faltered at the wrong time and missed two penalties in the last 15 minutes. Kicks that could have changed everything. Fortunately, Lyon did not lose and still came away with two points but the Lyon opener will surely think about his two failures. We could also regret the choice of the Lyonnais to go into touch rather than choosing a penalty at the foot of the posts earlier in the match…
The misadventures of the Toulouse side
Alexandre Roumat was on the bench, of course. And when he returned, the problem was somewhat resolved. But for almost an hour, Toulouse suffered as rarely on the sidelines. 7 touches lost for Toulouse, it's extremely rare. If the Lyon alignment was effective against, the Toulouse were penalized three times in this sector for faults of relayers or lifters… This is one of the reasons which explain the contrasting offensive performance of the Rouge and Black.
Angel Capuozzo was not on his best day
This season he confirms all his potential. Starting for the 8th time this season with Toulouse, the Italian was however not decisive this evening and above all could have cost his team dearly. However, warned by the referee, he made a mistake in a ruck offering the penalty for the win (not converted) to Berdeu. He was also surprised by a rebound on Ioane's try and let the ball slip away under pressure. Discreet on the offensive level, however, he did not miss the tackles (7/7).
