“Obviously in my head, there was a try.
Louis Carbonnel laughs.
Posed in the press room, the Toulon opening half recalls this action of the 20th minute in his head.
The one where three-quarters of Racing 92 Virimi Vakatawa infiltrates the Var in-goal after an acceleration and a flexible acrobatic pass from Teddy Thomas.
Everyone is already seeing the international tricolor flatten and allow the Ile-de-France residents to get back into the game after a catastrophic start (3-17).
Well, almost everyone.
While Vakatawa has his gaze fixed on Toulon's back Toeava trotting towards him, RCT winger Gabin Villière hits the center of Fijian origin.
The shock, unexpected, makes him drop the ball from his hands.
Vakatawa remains on the ground, stunned.
Melee for Toulon five meters from his line.
And a try avoided in a match he would end up winning 23-29.
The weekend rescue is signed by Gabin Villière!
pic.twitter.com/fJxuqfiWwK
- Canal Rugby Club (@CanalRugbyClub) January 17, 2021
“It was unexpected, I wasn't expecting it at all,” enthuses third row Var Swan Rebbadj.
“It is like Gabin, slips his manager Patrice Collazo.
He rides on no one on this Racing attack, then he makes up for his mistake.
He does not let go, like the whole team tonight.
"
On the Racing side, the idea of the post-match remarks was much less to welcome the rescue of the player from Federal 1. But rather to avoid overwhelming a holder in the Blues, among the best players of the effective last season.
"We must not blame him"
“He was disappointed, defends his captain Henry Chavancy.
Just behind, he does a personal feat to create a test situation… You can't blame him.
We don't blame him, and we have complete confidence in him.
"
"It's a mistake he made and he will not do it again, cowardly, colder, his manager Laurent Travers.
It must serve as a lesson to him.
I didn't need to talk to him about it again.
What is the point of adding more?
A player who has just missed a penalty is not told that he has missed a penalty, he knows that.
There it is the same.
It's like that… "
But Vakatawa's test, among the 37 players summoned by Fabien Galthié to prepare for the start of the Six Nations Tournament against Italy on February 6, would it have been enough for Racing to avoid a second home defeat in the Top 14 this season? ?
Not sure, as the Toulonnais ended up muzzling the third in the Top 14 in a second period where they scored only three points.
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“Even if he had scored… We were good and we never got mad despite their two tries,” says Carbonnel.
We responded well.
»Probably not enough to bring the smile back to Vakatawa's face.
