Top 14: La Rochelle and Racing 92 put pressure on UBB

Traffic jam for the semis: La Rochelle, Castres and Racing 92, all victorious at home on Saturday during the 23rd day of the Top 14, put pressure on Bordeaux-Bègles before their perilous trip Sunday evening to the leader, Montpellier.

In the event of defeat in the Hérault, the UBB, already beaten eight times in nine matches in all competitions, would see its second place, directly qualifying for the last four, very seriously threatened.

To discover

• Fixtures and Top 14 results

• Ranking Top 14

A hungry trio came back on the heels of the Girondin club.

Starting with his best enemy La Rochelle, who has just beaten him three times in the space of three weeks between the championship and the European Cup.

With several executives left to rest, including the "

" Uini Atonio, Grégory Alldritt and Jonathan Danty, the Maritimes ensured the essential against a valiant team from Perpignan (32-16), without managing to win the bonus point. offensive.

They are temporarily only one length behind second place, just like Castres, still as intractable in its fortress of Pierre-Fabre.

Very just tactically, the CO chained there against Clermont (12-0), in dantesque weather conditions, a twentieth match without defeat, a first in the

A Racing with two faces

No rain, no wind under the roof of its Arena, but Racing 92 took time to get into its match against the red lantern, Biarritz, yet already almost condemned to relegation.

Led at half-time (7-6), the Hauts-de-Seine club, much more attractive after the break, with some superb offensive movements and a double from Teddy Thomas, managed to reverse the trend to win. with the bonus (40-7).

He is two points behind UBB, which will still be deprived of its international opener Matthieu Jalibert on Sunday, preserved by his staff as a precaution after several relapses in recent weeks.

Opposed in the evening (9:05 p.m.) to Toulon in a gala match at the Vélodrome stadium in Marseille, Toulouse, without its international hinge Dupont-Ntamack, left to rest, will try to keep pace with its direct competitors.

The defending champion, diminished by numerous injuries, was overtaken in the standings by Racing and by Lyon, winner in the rain at Brive (31-17) thanks in particular to his young opener Léo Berdeu, author of 26 points alone. .

This success leaves the Brivistes under threat from Perpignan, penultimate, and further reduces the chances of qualification of Clermont, now relegated to five points from the Top 6. The last hopes of Pau have evaporated on the lawn of the French Stadium (21-18) despite a burst of pride at the end of the match in the wake of Antoine Hastoy, author of a double.