the essential
Trailing 12-16 15 minutes from the end of the match, the Castres collapsed in Bayonne this Saturday (12-33), during the end of the match where they overplayed and lacked precision.
“Rugby gives you what you deserve. We play to take 30, like the last action we play when we cannot take the defensive bonus, this ball that we throw again in-goal…” With a closed face, Antoine Tichit did not hide his bitterness at the microphone of Canal + after the final whistle in Bayonne. His words refer to Louis Le Brun's two big mistakes in the last ten minutes of play.
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First there was this suicidal restart from his goal, at the moment when his team was struck by lightning and was only seven lengths behind the Basques. The ex-Toulonnais, who came on in the 62nd minute, was boxed in by the Bayonnais before having the ball snatched away by Giovanni Habel-Küffner (12-26, 73rd). “Normally, our philosophy is to get away from home, have a good chase to put pressure on the opponent. We overplayed on a turnover, it's not very logical”, was surprised Jeremy Davidson.
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The Castres manager also regretted the last offensive of his young fly-half – really not inspired yesterday – who was intercepted by an overly complicated post-contact pass after the siren.
“Lack of organization”
Two cap attempts which increased the final score, too high in view of the whole game. To say that the CO should have won against Jean-Dauger would be a lie, but he could have obtained a defensive bonus. With more realism in the first period. And, above all, if he had managed the end of the match better. Because 15 minutes from the end of the match, the Olympians, trailing 12-16, were still in the game. But the machine has gone off the rails. Like the sideline, which lost six rounds of ammunition, including two incorrect throws from Loris Zarantonello.
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The first gave possession back to Ciel et Blanc, who took the visitors out of the defensive bonus by obtaining a penalty on the following sequence (12-19). “We break down around the hour mark. It's frustrating to be in the match for 60 minutes and leave with zero points,” whispered Tarn second row Florent Vanverberghe.
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Physical or tactical problem? The second row was unable to justify this drop in speed. But one thing is certain, the CO made too many inaccuracies (61, 70, 76, 80) in money time and “overplayed”, as his manager admitted. And Geoffrey Palis: “It goes a little in all directions at the end of the match. We don't necessarily feel dominated but we lack organization and we play a little backwards. We throw balls that we shouldn't do not restart.” There was also this try refused to Santiago Arata for not having released the ball to the ground after a tackle (78). This could have revived the CO with a view to a defensive bonus. But the damage was already done.
