TOPS
A breathtaking outcome
Rarely has a Top 14 game had such a crazy end to the game. If the show has long been absent from the debates, the Rugby Club Toulonnais and the Stade Français offered an insane end of the match to the public of the Mayol stadium, with three tries in the last quarter of an hour. If the Var believe they have done the hardest with the try of Swan Rebbadj and the transformation of Anthony Belleau who offer them 10 points ahead, it is indeed the Parisians who overturn the table by going twice in the goal with Lester Etien (68th), well helped by a breakthrough by Joris Segonds, then Kylan Hamdaoui, at the conclusion of a collective corner movement (74th). With only two points ahead, the Parisians are crucified by a penalty from Louis Carbonel 40 meters in the axis, two minutes after the siren (80th + 2) and bowed by a small point (19-18) . A heavy kick of consequence for the rest of the season of the two teams.
The impactful entry of the minot Erwan Dridi
However, it should not even appear on the mlatch sheet. Benefiting from the last minute package from the Argentinian Ramiro Moyano, the young Toulon winger Erwan Drdi (19 years old) is not ready to forget his first minutes in Top 14. By depositing Sekou Macalou in the end, it is him who initiates the counter-saving of his partners who brings their one and only test of Swan Rebbadj (64th). Champion of France with the Crabos with the youngsters from the Toulonnais Rugby Club last season, he will undoubtedly have to be recalled by patrice Collazo in the coming weeks.
The RCT returns to the race for the final stages
At the time of taking stock at the end of the season, Toulon supporters will no doubt remember this penalty passed by Louis Carbonel after the siren. After this weekend's defeats at Stade Rochelais, Stade toulousain and Montpellier, the Rugby Club Toulonnais performed well in the classification by going up to 4th place (45 points). With 5 points ahead of the outgoing Toulouse champion (7th), the return to the final stages is more relevant than ever on the side of the harbor.
FLOPS
The Stade Français deserved much better
Much better since the start of the year, the Parisians have held out for a candidate in the final stages but must again admit defeat, as so often out of bounds this season (9 defeats and a draw in ten games) . Solidarity in defense where they were only too rarely worried by the Var attacks, the pink soldiers were never left behind and deserved just as much as their opponents to win in this last match of the 17th day. Despite the defensive bonus, which will probably not console them, the men of the Arias / Sempéré duo remain last in the Top 14 (25 points).
The imprecision of the scorers, the Parisian scourge
If Stade Français lost to Mayol, it also owes it to the bankruptcy of its scorers. With four penalties missed by Joris Segonds and a transformation by Noicolas Sanchez, the Stade Français let pass no less than 14 points en route. A sector clearly pointed out at the time of doing the accounts.
The glaring indiscipline on both sides
Penalized 17 times and sanctioned twice with a yellow card for Talalelei Gray (42nd), guilty of a shoulder charge on Sergio Parisse in the ruck area (42nd) then Sami Mavinga for a gross foul before his line (58th), the Stade Français can regret its excess of commitment as there was room to make a big move in Toulon. Sanctioned in turn with a yellow card for a tackle high on the action which brings the test of Etienne (68th), Brian Alainu'uese has meanwhile thought well to nullify the hopes of victory of his own.
Read also
- 2019/2020 Top 14 Ranking