There was no match between Lyon and Stade Français at the conclusion of the 6th day of the Top 14. Lyonnais in great shape outclassed helpless Parisians (35-3). Scrum half Baptiste Couilloud scored twice and Fabien Gengenbacher’s men moved into the top 6 of the rankings. The Parisians remain stuck in 13th place and will have to show a different face next weekend in Castres.
Lyon wins with the offensive bonus at Matmut Stadium Gerland (35-3) against Stade français at the end of the sixth day of Top 14. It was the last lap of the sixth day of the Top 14 championship between the Lyonnais eager to regain the first places in the event of success and the Stadistes, looking for a dynamic in order to remove certain doubts glimpsed recently. Quickly, the locals put a certain intensity into conservation. Often, in the opposing half of the field, the Rhone residents multiplied the opportunities without being able to materialize. The fault came from a superb movement on the left flank where Niniashvili ignited the action. The passes were flying and Ioane was at the conclusion of this sustained sequence (7-0, 13th). The Lyonnais insisted, sometimes showing clumsiness including waiting on transmissions.
Not enough to demobilize the locals. On a nice attack from wide, Berdeu attacks the advantage line, Radradra is up to the task and in the end, Maraku, who has just entered the game, goes behind the line for a try full of mischief (14-0, 34th ). Paris, upset throughout this first act, was content to stop as best it could, this control of the Lyonnais, omnipresent in the rucks. If Macalou and his team frequently delayed the deadline, the response came before returning from the locker room. On one of their rare forays, Carbonel will give the Stadistes three points, lacking ammunition at this point in the game (14-3, 40th). Would Lyon manage to maintain the pace or could Stade Français reverse the course of things for the future?
The French Stadium, between transparency and concern
The sentence will hardly be in doubt quite quickly. Couilloud, always on the right track, scored two tries in 5 minutes with his usual sense of the game (43rd and 48th, 28-3) to ensure a substantial gap and a clear overall domination of his teammates. Never able to react, Laurent Labit’s men have not proposed anything concrete to reverse an already calamitous trend. Worse, Dumortier will also go for his personal achievement, after some nice work from Gys Okuya for him (35-3, 62nd). What follows will only be a confirmation of the Parisian difficulties in putting together content worthy of the name, facing the Rhone residents whose realism borders on perfection on this one-sided evening.
Lyon did not tremble. Solid on the fundamentals, efficient when it came to running the clock, Fabien Gengenbacher’s men did the job with consistency and conviction. While a series of invincibility remains at home, the Lyonnais regain the places of honor with merit, before a delicate trip to Perpignan next Saturday.
Stade Français is more than ever in doubt. Not yet visibly confident about the content and transitions. Laurent Labit’s men lacked collective benchmarks in important moments, and have yet to concede defeat by offering a lackluster rugby. At the end of the ranking, there will still be urgency next week with the trip to Castres.
