UBB received five out of five
Fifth victory in a row, five points on the clock for Christophe Urios' men who had missed the bonus during the last two days and are continuing their way in the wake of the Toulouse champion, before the start in selections of their nine internationals (6 French, Federico Mori, Ben Tameifuna and Guido Petti).
Faced with Perpignan (39-13), the Bordelais achieved a controlled game, not quite full with still some small weak times that could not exploit Catalans lacking in imagination and offensive power, the teammates of Mamad Dibay used the speed of their hinge to pierce the USAP three times.
Matthieu Jalibert, still in international form, first took a hole in his 22 meters for a test 80 meters further signed Cyril Cazeaux, with two tackles broken in passing (5).
Yann Lesgourgues took over twice by toasting everyone in the center of the field, catching a cold in passing Tristan Tedder (49), before a winning start behind his scrum ten minutes later (34-6, 60).
There will surely be fault with the Bordeaux conquest, sometimes approximate, even if the touch brought Nathanaël Hulleu's second try of the match (25), and the final penalty try (72).
Opposite, with a Melvyn Jaminet at 3 of 5 at the foot (5 of 5 for Jalibert), Perpignan tried in the first period but ran into an impassable Atlantic wall, like his balloons lost in the contact with Tameifuna.
After the break and the first points from the international back (17-6), it was on a gift from the Gironde lineup that Lucas Velarte saved the honor on an opportunistic try (68).
Biarritz takes over in Aguilera
Biarritz, manhandled without damage in the first period then bleeding after the break, beat Brive (37-9), with the offensive bonus in the key, Saturday at home for the 8th day of Top 14 in a crucial confrontation for the maintenance. Thanks to his five tries and the offensive breakdown of the Brivists (no try), the BO ended four consecutive losses and extricated themselves from last place in the standings, which fell to Perpignan.
Unruly (nine penalties) and jostled in front, especially in melee (two penalties), the Biarrots managed to turn in the lead at the break, thanks to a beautiful defensive solidarity and a sacred realism in attack (10-6). In a meeting padlocked by the stake between two opponents who are fighting for maintenance, the clash was initially limited to a scorers duel, the Brivist opener Hervé (13th, 25th) being more precise than his counterpart English Herron (17th), author of a failure of nearly 49 m opposite at the start of the match.
Shortly after the half hour of play, two successive inspirations allowed the Basques to take the advantage, when the scrum half Barnabé Couilloud first exfiltrated a shaken and off-center scrum near his 22 meters to climb back up. 60 meters of land. Illegally stopped, the action rebounded when Australian winger Speight wisely played the penalty quickly in his hand to serve New Zealand center Saili in the corner (33rd, 10-6).
On resumption, Herron worsened the score by improving a contest from Dyer (42nd, 13-6) but missed the break just after (43rd).
Brive responded with a new penalty, on scrum, from Hervé (56th).
But the last half hour was totally Basque with a try from the Argentinian international Cubelli (62nd, 18-9), freshly entered and served by hooker Soury, escaped from a conquering maul.
On a superb combination in touch between the jumper Hirigoyen and the ubiquitous Dyer, Saili then offered a double (70th, 25-9), synonymous with an offensive bonus.
Dyer (75th), man of the match, and Speight (photo, 78th, 37-9) finally gave the final score the appearance of a little lesson for Brivists completely overwhelmed and beaten for the third time in a row.
Henry Speight scored the last try for the Biarrots.
GAIZKA IROZ / AFP
The Stade Français at a triple gallop
The French Stadium has recovered: the Parisians, carried by Sekou Macalou, have chained a third success in a row by beating Lyon (23-18), Saturday, on behalf of the 8th day of the Top 14. After having dominated Clermont (22-14) then Perpignan (23-22), Gonzalo Quesada's men confirmed their good form at the moment against Lou with a new victory which allows them to temporarily climb to 8th place.
They thus come out, for the first time of the season, from a red zone into which they had plunged after three setbacks at the start of the year. This success was still laborious, a sign that the Stade Français is not yet completely cured of all its ills. Clumsy and imprecise (13 penalties, 10 turnovers), even downright feverish (yellow card from Tolu Latu, 46th), the Parisians indeed played with fire after a first period generally under control, where they scored two tries by Kylan Hamdaoui ( 30th) and Arthur Coville (39th).
The Pink Soldiers were able to rely on an XXL Macalou, in all the right moves before leaving to join the Blues at Marcoussis on Sunday and in particular author of an offering as incredible as it was generous on the Coville test. But they eased off in the second half and allowed the Lyonnais, however amorphous, to return to the match, first by Dylan Cretin (53rd) then by Yanis Charcosset (57th).
A week after having brought down the Toulouse leader from his throne, the Lou ended up tripping over Paris, its conquering forwards and its applied defense.
Muzzled, the Lyonnais, yet the best attack in the championship before this meeting (22 tries scored, 192 points scored), fell on a bone, like the former All Blacks opener Lima Sopoaga, who waited too long before entering a penalty that would have allowed Lou to come back within range (66th).
A Clermont jet
Led at halftime (6-13), Clermont largely won at the expense of Pau (42-20) after having reacted vigorously during a second period of very good quality, with five tries registered, Saturday during of the 8th day of the Top 14. With this improved success, the fourth of the season, including three over the last five days, the ASM is ranked 6th in the standings and overtakes the Section Pau (10th).
Quickly deprived of his opener Camille Lopez, left on injury in the 3rd minute, Clermont was quite poor in the game, leaving Pau to take the lead thanks to a try from Clovis Le Bail.
A transformation and two penalties signed Antoine Hastoy, retained in the France group for the November test matches, allowed the Béarnais to lead at half-time.
But the ASM got back in the right direction in the second half of the match thanks in particular to the boot of Morgan Parra (7/8), who brought to 48 his record of consecutive successful kicks in the league. He failed on his 49th attempt by missing the transformation of the first try into Top 14 from the third row Lucas Desseigne.
To regain the score and break away, the Clermontois scored 29 points in the first 21 minutes of the second period.
It was the try of captain and third row Arthur Iturria which first allowed them to take the advantage (16-13 after transformation, 49).
While the Palois were reduced to ten, the Auvergnats increased their lead to 35-13 after a brace from winger Aliverti Raka, back in great shape.
International winger Damien Penaud added a fifth try ten minutes from time.
