Brive, the pass of three
What a week for Brive!
Five days after winning in-extremis in Castres (25-24), the CAB had this skin of Lyon (12-8) which had not lost since mid-September, Sunday on the occasion of the 12th day of Top 14. Playoffs at the start of the week, the players of Jeremy Davidson, courageous, valiant and good managers in the second half, breathe much better in the standings (9th).
For the LOU, which could not imitate Toulouse, Clermont and Racing 92 winners this fall in the country of Coujoux, it is a halt after seven unbeaten matches - nine with the European Cup.
The defensive bonus, voluntarily left by the CAB at the end of the match, is a small compensation for Pierre Mignoni's men who never found the key to the Limousin lock after the first quarter of an hour.
This match, also played in difficult conditions, first caused damage (rapid injuries to Thomas Laranjeira, Mathieu Bastareaud and Jonathan Wisniewski) before Noa Nakataci rewarded the first visitor highlight with a corner try validated in the video (15th).
Forced to reorganize tactically after the concussion protocols of Vasil Lobzhanidze and Nico Lee, the Brivists returned to the game by taking advantage of Lyon's indiscipline in the ruck zones, sanctioned by Enzo Hervé, substitute against the poles of Laranjeira (9- 9, 28).
The debates mainly confined around the midfielder, gave rise to a big fight, few flights and a lot of kicking.
As the conquest also turned in favor of Jeremy Davidson's men, with many Lyon approximations in touch, the LOU remained silent for a long time and not far from getting out of the bonus - Hervé penalty (56th).
His salvation could have come five minutes from the siren when Julien Blanc was blocked by Killian Geraci but on the next ruck, it was the Argentinian winger Axel Muller who was the quickest to recover the ball in the camp. visitor where support had been delayed.
The last collapsed scrum offered Saïd Hirèche's teammates the opportunity to take their opponent out of the bonus, but the Corrézien captain preferred not to attempt it to avoid a recovery from Lyon.
# CABLOU # BoxingDayRugby 80 '⚫⚪ VICTORY !!
The Black and White showed a lot of commitment and aggressiveness to win today against LOU Rugby.
They end the year with a great victory at home.
Well done guys pic.twitter.com/jcNWwQ912m
- CABCLRUGBY (@CABCLRUGBY) December 27, 2020
Racing does not give Agen a gift
It doesn't matter what Boxing Day Top 14 version: Racing did not give Agen a gift, down 45-10, and offered itself a festival of tests - six - like the offensive bonus on Sunday at La Défense to get closer from the leader La Rochelle.
Even with two delicate half-time starts, even largely revised compared to the team in demonstration a week ago at the Harlequins (49-7) and even sated by their European window without a hitch, the Ile-de-France residents still had enough appetite Sunday, two days after Christmas, to inflict a 12th consecutive defeat on Agen.
The AUS is approaching a little more the record of consecutive defeats since the passage to a single pool.
The one established by Perpignan which had collected 15 in a row in 2018-2019.
The Agenais, however, made the Racingmen doubt at the start of the meeting, perhaps decided to put the fight at Treviso airport into the background, which earned two of its players layoffs.
The Ciel et Blancs immediately conceded a cap try (11th) after a presumptuous kicking from Antoine Gibert, a young opener who started in the absence of Finn Russell.
His ball from above was intercepted and then flattened by Victor Moreaux, kicking off a catchy quarter of an hour from Agen.
Rewarded by two penalties but only one converted by Raphaël Lagarde.
A test transformed by Maxime Machenaud, of Louis Dupichot, allowed by a noticed jump pass from Gibert allowed Racing to equalize (24th).
The Agenais will no longer register any point.
After a second try signed Teddy Baubigny on a ball carried (37th), the Parisians, sure of their strength insisted after the siren and scored a third try through Kurtley Beale, found in the meantime by Gibert.
The rest of the match and the tests of Teddy Thomas (61st), Jordan Jospeh (72nd) and Ibrahim Diallo (78th) were a long ordeal for Agen who will attack 2020 by receiving the leader La Rochelle.
And the specter of a 13th defeat in as many days.
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Calendar and results Top 14