Double weekend required, Stade Rochelais had to deal with the absences of its internationals, this Saturday, November 23, on the lawn of the Pierre-Fabre stadium in Castres. And, also faced with the suspension of Cancoriet and the injury to Botia, the Maritimes even had to reinvent themselves, particularly in the third line, in which Danty, usual three-quarter center, was established.
Is it because of these changes that Stade Rochelais stammered its rugby in the first period in Tarn? Hard to say. Still, they return to the locker room, after 40' of almost one-sided play, with a heavy outlay on the scoreboard (28-6). And the bill could even have been heavier without the two failures at the foot of Le Brun.
In this first act, taking advantage of the support of the wind, the Castres constantly put pressure on the La Rochelle defense, which they pushed into mistakes several times. Penalties rained down, the Castres forwards took the upper hand, in scrums and on the sidelines, and the backs finished the job. Palis goes for his double, scoring twice at the end of the line, while Seguret converts one of the many penalties in this first period.
The Rochelais reduced to 14
On the side of the fifteen from La Rochelle, where Lavault had to temporarily give up his place to Huchet for a concussion protocol, only two penalties from Hastoy limit, a little, the damage.
Returning from the locker room, the Maritimes were much more enterprising. A try from Seuteni and two kicks from Hastoy give hope (28-16, 50th). However, the exclusion of Kuntelia, who came into play only a few minutes earlier, put a damper on La Rochelle's ambitions. Reduced to fourteen, they are not giving up yet. Cornered, the Castres are penalized in turn. And the Rochelais are rewarded at the end of the match with a try from Lespiaucq, which offers the defensive bonus to his team. In the absence of a victory, which would have been unexpected after the first act, it is a point which could count at the end of the season.
The sheet
Halftime: 28-6.
Referee : M. Marbot.
The score for Castres: 3 E Palis (10th, 34th), Seguret (15th), 2 T Le Brun (10th, 15th), 3 P Le Brun (4th, 18th, 38th).
La marque pour La Rochelle : 2 E Seuteni (43e), Lespiaucq (77e), 1 T Hastoy (43e), 4 P Hastoy (6e, 24e, 50e, 70e).
Yellow cards: Douglas (14th) in La Rochelle; Seguret (62nd), Baget (70th), Corato (76th) in Castres.
Red card: Kuntelia (52nd) in La Rochelle.
