Saturday evening, Union Bordeaux-Bègles made its mark by winning on the pitch of Castres Olympique (3-13), a truly impregnable bastion this season. The Bordelais, solid in conquest and pragmatic in the pouring rainended a series of ten Castres victories in all competitions at home.
A victory built on rigor and realism
Faced with weather conditions that were not conducive to the big show, the UBB was able to adapt to achieve a valuable success. If the Castres had a few opportunities in the first period, in particular thanks to their opener Louis Le Brun, efficiency was on the Bordeaux side. Joey Carbery first opened the scoring on a penalty (15th) before Yoram Moefana found the fault just before the break, after a lot of collective work (38ᵉ).
With a 10-point lead at half-time (3-13), the Girondins relied on an iron defense and a winning scrum to manage the second period. The Castres blunders, symbolized by two missed penalties from Le Brun, sealed their fate.
“A successful test” for Bordeaux
Jean-Baptiste Poux, UBB forward coach, did not hide his satisfaction in the columns of South West :
“We knew we were expected. We took Castres on its strengths, and it's very satisfying. Despite the changes in the squad, we maintain a hard-working spirit which is bearing fruit.”
Since the start of the season, the Girondins have indeed struggled to conquer, while observers pointed at the key (last of the Top 14). Shaun Sowerby did a good job finding solutions and the Bordeaux line-up was very solid on Saturday.
Opposite, Jeremy Davidson, manager of the CO, pointed out the shortcomings of his team:
“We were losing a lot of balls and missing our chances. Our winning scrum was lacking, and that didn't help us.”
A Christmas present for UBB, a cold shower for Castres
With this victory, Bordeaux-Bègles takes the lead in the Top 14, confirming its status as a serious contender for the title despite the absences of Jalibert, Lucu, or even Bielle-Biarrey.
And that’s the big news for the Girondins. In previous seasons, winning without Lucu and Jalibert was unimaginable. Achieving success in the Tarn with a successful conquest well represents this new UBB. Being competitive in all circumstances is the mark of big clubs, Bordeaux is one of them now. We will have to seek a first title in the coming years to definitively assert ourselves in the big leagues.
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