“It puts our feet back on the ground a little,” whispered captain Yohan Beheregaray after BO’s defeat in Brive this Friday (31-13). A sharp, brutal setback, and above all a first for the Biarrots, who had never had a match without grabbing even a bonus this season. In Corrèze, nothing worked for Boris Bouhraoua’s squad, victims of a setback both in their progression in the ranking and in the game.
“We took a good hit. It reminds us that we have to go back to work, conceded hooker Beheregay at a press conference. We were first, we’re no longer, so we’re going to digest this match, analyze it, see what was and what wasn’t, because it wasn’t all bad. . »
“We made their job easier”
On the negative side, we will still note a glaring offensive sterility, with a number of attacking balls where the BO was forced to retreat. “We defended very well, but it’s in attack where I have some regrets. We weren’t aggressive enough. We sometimes did a little too much “babaling”. We had two or three big jumps which canceled situations where we could have put ourselves a little further forward. We made their job a little easier. »
Shortcomings on the move already seen in Montauban during the 4th day. In Sapiac, the Biarritz character had made it possible to get back together and even envisage victory before a stumble at the end of the match (29-26). This Friday in Brive, the Basque desire was completely extinguished by the cold realism of the locals. And a certain lack of mastery, in conquest in particular (7 touches lost out of 18).
Cascade of injuries
In short, the content was missing, not the state of mind. Even when dropped, the Biarrots never lost their combativeness. A small consolation for their manager: “I am very happy with the state of mind of the BO players who, as usual, never leave their match. » We will note in particular certain angry defensive climbs, like Beheregaray on Dridi, or the try at the very end of the match from Bonneval after a good breakthrough from Dakuwaqa, unusually placed in the center.
Because in addition to their own shortcomings, the Basques had to deal with countless injuries. Seven in total: El Fakir, Morgan, David, Douglas, Fariscot, Retière and Tuataane. A headache for the coaches, forced to cobble together a competitive XV at the end of the match. “It was a great exercise for the staff, but that’s also what rugby is,” smiled Bouhraoua afterwards.
Enough to temper a little the too late reaction of the BO. But also to worry a little one week before the reception of Agen, against whom a reaction, or simply a return to the Biarritz norm will be expected. Beheregaray knows, the season is still very long, and the misstep in Brive is not an end in itself. “We lost one, there are plenty left. We will lose others, we know it, it’s the course of a season. »
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