Pro D2 – Béziers, a team of tough mauls

Rugby fans tuned into Canal + Sport may have thought they were coming across a rebroadcast of a Blues-Brumbies when they saw as many points scored as tackles missed in this meeting (40-44). But no, it wasn’t Super Rugby, the team in blue was not Auckland but rather Colomiers, the one dressed in white being Béziers. A striking detail may have helped viewers who did not brave the Haut-Garonne cold. Except Gabin Lorre’s essay following a nice overhand from Charly Malié, all of Béziers’ achievements came from a carried ball. Wilmar Arnoldi went queen twice; Yvann Lalevée once. It was again after an effective penetrating group that Damien Añon perfectly propelled his winger Pierre Courtaud to the promised land. A first salvo of mauls also cost Thomas Larrieu a yellow card, in the action preceding the ASBH hooker’s first try (35^e).

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Pro D2 – 84 points, nine tries… Colomiers – Béziers, it was “Super Pro D2”

“We were not prepared to go into battlelamented Columérain third row Caleb Timu after the match. The forwards, we will have to look at what we have done and work to improve in defending mauls to be stronger there, because carried balls are the specialty of many teams in Pro D2.” The people of Hérault were obviously ready. On the first three goals following a maul, the power and good structuring of Pierre Caillet’s men managed to explode the Columérine defense to score as a group, in the axis. On the last, despite a good defense and, visibly, better organization, Julien Sarraute’s men ended up cracking after several seconds of effort.

“Tonight, on the sideline conquest, we were goodsaid, all smiles, third row Baptiste Abescat-Leroy. We crushed them in front I think, so we pressed on that throughout the match. Look at the end: we could have taken the three points but we went into touch and it paid off in the end.” Indeed, sure of their strength, in the last moments of the match, the Biterrois preferred the penalty to the three points, just to keep the clock running and keep their four points in advance.

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Pro D2 – Lessons from the evening: Biarritz inflicts a zero point on Provence Rugby, Oyonnax is in crisis

Confidence found in mauls

However, the start of the match did not suggest that Hérault would be as confident at the end of the match. Despite a good first offensive from the Rouge et Bleu ending with a forward attack on the line from Nicolas Plazy, the first 20 minutes were one-sided. The Columérains had their hands on the ball and forced their opponents to make mistakes almost ten times. “As soon as we had the ball, something happened. We just had to keep our backs. But you felt that we had the weapons to come back. In this kind of match, it’s the one who loses who poses the most questions, and that’s kind of what happened I think”said Pierre Caillet, manager of the club with eleven Brennus, after the match.

Indeed, iUnable to create a real advantage (10-3) over this period of time, the residents of Bendichou saw Charly Malié’s teammates gradually regain self-confidence by winning over their opponents in their penetrating groups. “We rested on our base, we pressed the maulsconfirmed Baptiste Abescat-Leroy. This got everyone back on track. Mauls are in our state of mind! We want to hurt the adversary and be conquerors.” His coach agreed: “On our first two carried balls of the match, you damage them and you create doubt. When it’s rugby and you take good tries, you’re disgusted. But when you get hit, those stay in head.”

We worked very hard every week, every day, even on our off days

Béziers had already scored several tries on balls carried in this exercise, like those against Biarritz and Provence Rugby. But a faulty touch had undoubtedly prevented them from raising their arms on the lawns of Aurillac then Nevers and Oyonnax. “We have always been a very solid team on carried ballsassures Pierre Caillet. But at the start of the season, we had less confidence on the keys. The hooker wasn’t throwing well enough for example, but that’s just a technical problem. Despite this, we haven’t reached the bottom of the bucket, that’s important. In rugby, you solve technical problems, not mental ones. It may have cost us matches but today it made us win, the work pays off.”

This time, it was the alignment that allowed ASBH to achieve its first away success since September 13. Author of a double, South African hooker Wilmar Arnoldi is no stranger to this success, author of a flawless throw against Colomiers. “We worked very hard every week, every day, even on our off dayshe confided after the meeting. We are working on our shots and it paid off tonight. The jumps were good, the lifts too, like the announcements from our side captains. Everything worked well! Our secret? Everyone pitched in and pushed together, that’s all.” In the background echoed the chants of ASBH supporters who had come to wait for their heroes outside the locker room exit. At the microphone of Canal +, Julien Sarraute, manager of Colomiers, lamented having the impression of playing away. After regaining flamboyance in their game by passing 50 points to Dax, the Rouge et Bleu regained their effectiveness in penetrating groups. Well established in the top six, the Héraultais can harbor ambitions for this end of the block. Bringing their audience with them!