Top 14 – Bayonne takes on Toulouse and settles in the heights

The line-up was ideal between Basques and Haut-Garonnais for the closing of this ninth day of the Top 14, before the international break which will take place for three weeks. Between Bayonne who wanted to finish this first third of the championship with a bang and Toulouse seeking to regain their leadership position, the duel looked particularly indecisive. Between Bayonne who wanted to finish this first third of the championship with a bang and Toulouse seeking to regain their leadership position, the duel looked particularly indecisive. Clearly, the fight was on the cards, at every meeting point, at every tackle. We could feel the certain motivation of the two teams in terms of physical commitment and ground play. However, the Bayonnais managed to escape from this context, Maqala recovering a lucky ball contested by Mousques, following a clever overhand from Machenaud for the opener (7-0, 15th).

Toulouse had plenty of ammunition, including a balloon on which Cramont escaped. A hand fault near the line will annihilate any ambition at the time. Bayonne responded, alert in defense and in the duels, the Basque wall stood up against Toulouse's desire for width. While Jelonch received a yellow card after half an hour of play, the Bayonnais frantically tried to force the decision. Often near the scoring zone, Grégory Patat's men lost precision when it came to being realistic. While Mousques was refused a try for a forward advance on the ruck and the resulting ejection, the Haut-Garonnais held their advantage line in numerical inferiority to only concede in the end only seven units of late returning from the locker room.

Maqala, the liberator

The second period will provide the same continuity. A rustic fight and formations which never hesitated to defend. Bituniyata will still be at the conclusion of a long sequence near the line after Toulouse had demonstrated the right ingredients (7-5, 62nd). Kinghorn even believed he was giving an almost definitive advantage with a penalty scored at the very end of the match to steal a success at the end (7-8, 76th). Segonds was also offered a match point, but his attempt went off target a few seconds later! Nothing to discourage Rowing, an action well carried out from the halfway line and a double for Maqala who offers a victory in the last seconds (12-8, 79th) after multiple suitable fixations. The Stade Jean-Dauger could exult.

Rowing is gaining momentum! The Bayonnais add the Stade Toulouse to their scalp and confirm their advantageous start to the season on several registers. In a great dynamic with four consecutive victories, from now on, Grégory Patat's men have a string of high-level productions allowing the wildest dreams to take place in the third of the championship. Almost regrettable for the locals that the truce comes at this time and thus breaks this remarkable momentum.

It was difficult for the people of Toulouse to exist during this meeting. Faced with Bayonnais who are currently euphoric at home and especially tenacious in defense, the mission became more complicated as the minutes passed. Certainly deprived of many executives by selections and injuries, the Haut-Garonnais lacked rigor to hope to bring back a positive result. Not dramatic in itself, as the Toulouse residents have a colossal margin and will take advantage of the truce to regenerate the profiles which will be at rest.