Special envoy to Bordeaux
FAVORITES
Chaban-Delmas in fusion
"From the start, I say that winning back the hearts of supporters is what is most important" insisted Christophe Urios at a press conference on the eve of this shock. And the least we can say is that his supporters have given him back. For the first time since the 2014-2015 season and the reception of the Toulouse stadium, the Bordeaux stadium displayed sold out tickets. The fourth in history. 33,100 people came to garnish the stands, and went wild when the players entered the lawn. A just reward for the men of Christophe Urios who combine perfect results (ten home games, ten wins) and attractive play since the start of the season.
The boss is UBB
"We are the first, we are the first!" After trying the victory and offensive bonus from Cordero (76th), Chaban-Delmas let his joy explode for long minutes. With this victory which took shape in the last minutes, the Bègles regain their leader's chair. The crossover at the top of the Top 14 between the two teams has been going on since the start of the season, and the defeat on the Rhone side at Gerland (25-23) in the first leg had left Captain Diaby's teammates with a bitter taste. The two teams confirmed that they were of a similar level, before Tamanivalu (71st) then Cordero (76th) came to end the suspense.
READ ALSO: Bordeaux-Bègles dethrones Lyon from its leader's chair
The trigger: Radradra's orange yellow card
Semi Radradra was again at the center of the debates. The whimsical center, 27, has been splashing the lawns of the Top 14 for two seasons. And he is determined to make his mark on the championship, before setting sail this summer for England, in Bristol. He distinguished himself again this afternoon, with a big tackle in the rules of the art on Toby Arnold to ring the revolt (22nd). A few seconds later, the Fijian crossed paths with the New Zealander and gave him a cuff (23rd). Fortunately for him and his teammates, the referee of the meeting sent him a simple yellow card, considering that the center had extenuating circumstances. His passage on the bench coincided with the reaction of his teammates, who chained the balloons carried in the opposing camp. On his return, he was served and scored in force his first try (34th) of the game. Back from the locker room, he was served by his friend at the Rémi Lamerat center (40th) in the heart of the field and took advantage of the good work of his teammate to cover the last 50 meters without opposition. One express double, and four tries over the last three games. Brilliant.
The game at the foot of the LOU
Weapon of mass destruction in modern rugby, the center Charlie Ngatai and the opener Jonathan Wisniewski agreed with Christophe Urios: "They have a weapon which is the game at the foot of 10 and 12, and they will try to destabilize us with. I know how the match is going to play out. ” And the two Lyonnais gave themselves to their heart. Ngatai, the first attacker on game launches, distinguished himself by kicking mammoths. He also made up for his goalscorer on long distance penalties, passing two kicks over 50 meters without blinking (28th, 63rd). For his part, Wisniewski applied to run the Bordeaux defense with pressure play. He also mounted several candles which did not have the expected success.
CLAWS
The impotent LOU ball in hand or in attack placed
If the tactical contribution of its opener and its center is undeniable, the men of Pierre Mignoni have done poorly with a lack of imagination bullet in hand. The aggressive defense of the premises took the ex-leaders by the throat, and they relied on the physical challenge to make the difference. Ivaldi's essay (16th) confirmed this domination in conquest, before the debates balanced out. The long highlights in the 22 meters opponents proved unsuccessful, like a highlight only rewarded with a penalty from Wiśniewski (59th). "If they had taken seven points, it would have been a different story," said Mahamadou Diaby after the game.
Last ten fatal minutes at LOU
Everything was decided in the last moments of this meeting. As the clock ticked the 71st minute of play and the two teams were separated by a small point, it's hard to say who would win. Then the light came from Tamanivalu (72nd), followed by the transformation of Maxime Lucu. This test caused hysteria in the spans of Chaban-Delmas. In the process, on a beautiful inspiration from Lucu, it was Santiago Cordero who took the hole to clinch the offensive bonus and definitively seal the victory of his team (76th). "These are X factors," sighed Pierre Mignoni after the meeting. A penalty on Lucu's siren (80th), and the LOU concluded on this meeting on a severe 17-0 in less than ten minutes.
Read also
- Top 14 ranking