Top 14 – Perpignan – Pau notes: Lucas Velarte and Joaquin Oviedo valiant and efficient, Jeronimo De la Fuente and Daniel Bibi Biziwu disappointing

The Catalans won at the last second after a difficult match. Their two third lines managed to drag the team forward.

The tops:

The Catalan number 8 allowed his team to advance frankly at least four times. He played a role in USAP’s superb try in the 31st minute. He was one of the rare Perpignans to evolve at his level. He is becoming a real revelation at the start of the season in a not easy context. A real power at the service of the collective.

He replaced Noé Della Schiava at the break. And the choice of Franck Azéma proved to be judicious. The Argentine number 8 brought his activity and his strength in the impacts. He combined well with Lucas Velarte who is more or less his understudy. But that wasn’t enough. He behaved like a safe bet in this lackluster match for USAP.

It marks the final try ultimately refused by a terrible charge (but the victory was achieved). Beyond that, we noticed his activity and the sharpness of his interventions. His throws in touch may not have been up to par, but his riot of energy deserved the citation.

The third wing really impressed us. He is not a man who signs brilliant actions, because he is not a huge ball carrier. But what activity, what breath, what temperament. We’ve seen it in almost every hot spot. He was also happily called into touch. A large part that the specialists could not miss. But a severe yellow card tarnished his match.

The English scrum half of the Section showed himself to his advantage, particularly on the accuracy of his choices. We really saw it in Clément Laporte’s essay. Robson is second to none when it comes to reversals that disorient the opponent.

Also read:
Top 14 – Usap wins at the last second against Pau

The flops

The Samoan hooker came off at half-time. Quite rare situation. It’s true that his throws left something to be desired, which is nothing new for him even though he was dynamic in the game and a rather good passer. But his impact on the conquest of his team was too great.

Geronimo De la Fuente 4/10

He left the field in the 67th^e. It wasn’t a great game for the Argentine center. He was at fault in defense on the Pau try. He seemed uninspired with the ball in hand, especially in the first half. We see him getting rid of the ball and lacking conviction on certain contacts. The captain has accustomed us to better things.

We expected more strength and more impact from the Pau pillar. He was seen dropping a ball on impact near the line. It wasn’t strong enough for our taste. He must do better.