Top 14 – Les notes de Lyon – Perpignan : Beka Shvangiradze en force, Apisai Naqalevu en travers

The tops

• Put the Mistletoe : 7/10

Arriving from Aurillac in the off-season, the man that his teammates humorously label as the “little brother” of his compatriot Beka Saghinadze has proven himself for several months in the dirty work, he who before this match counted a whopping 105 successful tackles for only 5 missed. However, against Aurillac, number 8 Lou proved that he was much more than a pruner, notably author of a strength test 521^e) and a very important scratching (30^e) on a Catalan downbeat. Something to go out to at 52^ewith the feeling of duty accomplished…

Already excellent against Toulouse two weeks ago, the strong man of the Lyon pack once again delivered a boss performance on his Gerland pitch. Although he certainly made a few blunders with the ball in hand, he threw all his weight into the fight on the advantage line, notably winning a crucial turnover in the 78th^e minute, on one of the last Catalan offensives. At the end of the effort…

• Bruce Devaux and Pietro Ceccarelli: 6/10

Replaced both at half-time, the Perpignan pillars were the only ones to exist on the Perpignan side in the first period. They did what was asked of them: to be dominant in the scrum sector. Devaux and Ceccarelli undermined their counterparts and got the job done. They were also very well supported in the second half by Kieran Brookes and Giorgi Beria. Despite the defeat, the “big” Catalans showed their advantage.

The flops

As a substitute, it’s never easy to fully enter a game when you have to hastily take off your bib at the start of the match. Coming into play shortly after a quarter of an hour of play, the Fijian center was very undisciplined on the Matmut Gerland pitch. A first foul in the 27th minute for an escort under a high ball, before receiving a yellow card two minutes before the break. Naqalevu committed two fouls on the same action, which pushed Tual Trainini to take out the toast. Ball in hand, the former Clermont player has never managed to show himself in a positive way.

• Post Comment : 4/10

We may be unaccustomed to the Perpignan number eight, but it is clear that he did not weigh enough on the debates this Saturday afternoon. Released a few minutes after the start of the second half, Fa’aso’o is only credited with three small runs with the ball in hand, for a beaten defender. The former Racing 92 player was also sanctioned once.

Formidable in the running game, the Australian international who arrived from the Highlanders still sometimes has difficulty adapting to the more vicious scrums of the Top 14, which was again verified against Uspa. Opposed to the stocky and cunning Bruce Devaux then to the equally stocky Giorg Beria, Ainsley was never able to find a solution, sanctioned three times by Mr. Trainini during the first act for a single reported penalty. His fourth foul in the 42nd^eafter the first wave of Catalan coaching, thus earned him a logical yellow card. And to symbolically embody the suffering of the Lyon pack in front of Usap.