If victory finally went to Usap, this Saturday, Baptiste Couilloud scored again and was entitled to his little ovation on Catalan lands.
The thing is sufficiently rare and remarkable to be reported: at the 77e minute of a game whose outcome was still very much undecided, applause rang out in the Aimé-Giral bays to greet Baptiste Couilloud’s exit from the field. This somewhat unexpected tribute says a lot about the respect and recognition earned by the Lyonnais in the industry.
The scrum half was once again one of the great entertainers of the match: in the first half, on yet another dazzling start behind a scrum, he was on the verge of flattening the first try of the match, prevented at the last minute by Riko Buliruarua; it was only a postponement for number 9, author of a short side start all the way to the in-goal, after the break, to temporarily give his team the advantage. No hard feelings, therefore, for a part of the blood and gold people, admiring his astonishing predispositions. Over the seasons, the scrum half has established himself as one of the attractions of the championship thanks to his athletic qualities, his daring and his sense of finishing. Every week, his offensive efficiency gains credit and weight: since the end of January and an achievement at Aimé-Giral, he has already made 22 tries in 22 matches. Nobody says it better, obviously. If his status as an intermittent international remains a frustration for him and his family, Fabien Galthié having successively preferred Maxime Lucu and Nolann Le Garrec as an understudy to who you know, Baptiste Couilloud writes his most beautiful story on the Top 14 fields where he already has 74 tests to his credit. We are willing to bet that Vincent Clerc’s record in the elite (101) will be his, sooner or later. At 27, Baptiste Couilloud has certainly not finished spreading terror. And, if necessary, to receive ovations, even far from Gerland.
France
Rugby
