In a technically poor match, Aviron Bayonnais ended up undermining the resistance of Castres, and climbed onto the podium of the Top 14, thus confirming its current good run.
Continuation of Saturday's Top 14 with a potentially crucial meeting for theRowing Bayonnais. The Basque club, which had won six of its last seven league matches, could provisionally move into third place with a home victory. But the Castres Olympicon the outskirts of the play-off zone, needed an away blow to solidify their chances of qualifying.
Both teams wanted victory, and proved it at the start of the match. Bayonne struck first, in the simplest way: penalty, shelling, force test signed Rodrigo Bruni while the CO had generally dominated the start of the match (10th). But three minutes later, Pierre Colonna countered a Basque clearance, and with success, served Rémy Baget who was going to point in a corner.
A new match then began, more tactical, but dominated by the locals, who almost got surprised when Drumstick snatched a ball, however losing his means when making the last pass. Rowing was more enterprising, under the leadership of a duo Sheikh Tiberghien – Sireli Maqala inspired, but lacking in finishing. A penalty later, Bayonne returned to the locker room slightly in the lead (10-5).
Dissatisfied, the Bayonnais returned to the fight, and the battle in the rucks became frankly intense. But in the transformation of the game, the two teams were struggling, especially Bayonne which multiplied the inaccuracies. Fresh substitutes were then brought in to try to restart the match, but Rowing decided to take the points, which nevertheless widened an interesting gap wiped out by a second try from Rémy Baget, who scored a “cad deb“school on Camille Lopez to revive his own (16-12, 57e).
Enough to promise a lively end to the match. Bayonne was not sparing in its efforts to try to kill the match for good, and Lopez passed three new points to get some air. Before the action which would seal the fate of the match, a breakthrough of Matteo Carreras failing a few meters from the goal, then Castres recovered the ball to attempt the crazy restart… which would turn into a ball snatched by Giovanni Habel-Küffnerauthor of the Victory Essay 33-12 after a final siren test signed Essay, author of a murderous interception to make Jean-Dauger scream with happiness. A success which quite simply allows Aviron Bayonnais to take third place. New proof that this club is on the rise.
