Stade Toulousain-UBB: A Good Slap for Toulouse! Why the Toulouse fortress fell to the Bordeaux rival

Ernest-Wallon shook and even cracked. In this Top 14 clash between the two best teams of last season, the suspense this time lasted a little longer than at the Vélodrome three months ago, where the Toulousains crushed the Bordelo-Béglais in the final . The latter had things to prove to themselves and undoubtedly found, beyond the four well-deserved points that they dearly gleaned, quite a few answers that they had come to seek, even if the road is still long.

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With a team built to come and tickle the Toulouse residents in the fight, the UBB succeeded perfectly. While they had started the game ideally – apart from Ntamack’s direct kick-off – the “rouge et noir” were unable to keep the pace they had set. Holding the ball and occupying the Gironde camp, the Stadistes quickly materialized their domination thanks to Kinghorn, shifted to the end of the wing by Ramos after a pass on a step from his opener on an offensive first hand after touch (7-0, 7).

Fatal numerical inferiority

However, everything quickly came to a halt after a lost touch in the visiting camp (13th). Two penalties later, Jalibert unlocked the Unionist counter (7-3, 15) before Kinghorn was logically caught on the dismissal for a high tackle on Retière (16). And unlike the Stadistes, who had benefited relatively from the yellow card received by Boniface (6), Yannick Bru’s men did their hosts very badly during their period of numerical superiority.

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Put under pressure by the UBB defense, the Stade was caught at its own game, often playing backwards and offering a little too easy ammunition to its opponent by using the hand while a little more of alternation would not have been too much.

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Faced with a defense that was too wait-and-see, Bielle-Biarrey took advantage of a perfect scrum launch to punish the Toulouse team for the first time (8-7, 19th). Untenable, the back then exploited wonderfully a ball recovered by his forwards in a ruck to attack the wing temporarily abandoned by Kinghorn, overflowing before sending Lucu to try an inside return (13-7, 22 ). An achievement once again not transformed by Jalibert.

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Still within reach, Ugo Mola’s men then refocused on the basics, with a dominating scrum and a counterattack having terribly upset the Girondins hookers having lost in the air what they had gained on the ground given their team profile (4 lost throws).
Despite a formidable Ahki, in the scratch (30) as in the tackle (37), the Toulouse residents however lacked too much control to manage to catch up before the break. Feverish, collectively (lost ball in first hand, 31) as well as individually like Ramos (direct ball into a dead ball, 28), Meafou (penalty returned for a gesture of humor, 32) or Ntamack (no throw found, 35), the “red and black” were unable to find the solution before the break against the hermetic visiting defense, Graou’s final attempt close to the line ending in failure (40).

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The symbol of an evening where the Toulouse offensives came up against the Gironde defensive curtain. But for not having been able to put the head of the French champion under water, with a decisive return from Ntamack, who sent Reybier into touch for a handful of centimeters (61), the UBB was left with a good scare .

Because after having tried to find their salvation through the game, lacking technical mastery in the contact game as in their rare forays in the second act in the opposing “22” (46, 56), the Stadistes wanted to force their destiny with their pack. Rightly so, Mauvaka running behind the line (70th). Ramos’ transformation failed, they were not discouraged, Delibes (80+ 1) being denied a try in the corner for a forward pass before a last vain attempt at the hand. The story of an evening where not much worked.