Coming to Ireland to test themselves against teammates from Bundee Aki, the Lyonnais only fell further, slapped by nine tries, after having had to swallow the harassment and provocations of the locals. Hard return to earth…
We understood well, hearing Karim Ghezal confide that the objective of Lou in Connacht consisted of “bring back between two and five points”that it is not through the binary prism of victory/defeat that the behavior of the Rhodanians in Ireland should be analyzed. Who had convinced themselves that after having secured the essentials in the Top 14 against Usap, they were safe from a guilty slackening… “This match is more important than it seems, Captain Félix Lambey promised the day before. To show our consistency by stringing together good performances with a different squad, but also to get first place in our group and play the final stages at home. We therefore take it as a big test, because if our latest results have been correct, we are aware that we have not yet done anything exceptional, nor achieved a real benchmark match.”
40 missed tackles…
The problem? It is that, if there was a reference match on the synthetic turf of the Galway cycle track, it was in the worst… To be honest, in case the Lyonnais had thought they had finished with their old demon of inconsistency, the return to earth will have been all the more brutal in view of the nine attempts conceded. Worse, it is the manner which will inevitably upset the staff of Lou and its followers, as the Gones have proven to be the caricature of what they had already been at the end of the autumn: naive as hell (at the image of this pass from Page-Relo intercepted in the 2nd which resulted in an 80 meter counter from his opposite Ben Murphy), too easily beaten in defense (40 missed tackles…) and particularly undisciplined. We are thinking here, first of all, of this yellow card conceded by Radradra just before half-time, for a stupid delayed tackle on his opposite number. And we pass, out of modesty…
Urgently expected reaction to the Cheetahs
So of course, there will be a bit of positive to remember, like these three tries scored after the ball was carried. Certainly, all the Rhone players will not be thrown into the same basket after this match, even though their overall behavior gave the impression of a team that would have been much better off, watching this match in front of them. TV. The fact remains that after having loudly deplored their frustration at not having had the honors of the broadcasters during the first two days, Karim Ghezal’s men did not really do them much harm, such was the indigence of the rugby displayed on Saturday evening. Perhaps it would have been better. The worst being, in their misfortune, that the Lyonnais can in the end thank the scorers opposite for having been so imprecise (only 30% success), without which the infamous bar of sixty points conceded would have been largely outdated…
Enough to provoke, as quickly as possible, a serious questioning, since after having failed in their quest for consistency, the Rhone residents will have every interest in at least affording the luxury of a reaction next week by stocking up on points against the weak Cheetahs. If they wish to treat themselves to the pleasure of a round of 16 at home, of course, but above all not to re-inflict on themselves the specter of doubt before the resumption of the Top 14 and the serious matters linked to the fight for survival…
Senegal
