Stade Français won, and that's about all we'll remember from this Saturday afternoon at Jean-Bouin.
Beaten in their last four outings, including the three derbies against Racing 92, the Parisians won (21-18) against Pau after believing they could take the offensive bonus as well as lose everything in the last minutes.
The sign of a feverish team, but which temporarily returns to seven points from the play-offs.
Question: what should we expect when the eleventh hosts the tenth four days before the end of the championship?
Not much?
Right answer.
Almost assured of maintenance and without much hope of integrating the dams, the Stade Français and Pau did not offer a great show to the scattered public of Jean-Bouin, reinforced for the occasion by the Béarn mayor François Bayrou and Claude from Koh-Lanta, who had as much merit in standing on the posts of the TF1 show as in supporting this first period.
Paris lets slip the offensive bonus
We are exaggerating, but the end of the season for Gonzalo Quesada's men promises to be long at this rate.
Amid missed touches, missed attacks - including an incredible three against one screwed up by the Section at the end of the first period - and missed penalties, Paris had less of the merit of standing out on two flashes.
The rare rays of sunshine emerged from the wings with Adrien Lapègue (6th) on the counter and Lester Etien (16th) at the conclusion of the most constructed action of the first forty minutes.
Lack of rhythm, but also of logic.
The last twenty minutes illustrate this: after having virtually taken the offensive bonus on a collective push concluded by Azagoh (61st), the Stade Français turned off the light and took two tries from the Section opener, Antoine Hastoy, in four minutes.
Returning to equality, the Palois immediately offered a gift penalty to allow Nicolas Sanchez to redo a slight hole at the foot (75th).
Before wasting a last opportunity (78th) with Zach Henry, unable to find the key after a foul scraped by his forwards.
It was time for this to end.
For everyone.
FRENCH STADIUM - PAU: 21-18
Half time: 10-3
Referee:
Mr. Blasco-Baqué
Stade Français:
penalties from Sanchez (55th, 75th);
tests of Lapègue (6th), Etien (16th), Azagoh (61st)
Pau:
penalties from Hastoy (21st, 57th);
Hastoy tests (68th), (72nd);
transformation of Hastoy (72nd)
Stade Français:
Veainu (Hamdaoui, 64th) - Lapègue, Waisea, Barré, Etien - (o) Sanchez, (m) Hall (Coville, 66th) - Briatte (Macalou, 70th), Macalou (Godener, 52nd), Kremer - Maestri (Van der Mescht, 52nd; Maestri, 68th), Gabrillagues (cap.) (Azagoh, 52nd) - Roelofse (Melikidze, 52nd), Panis (Da Silva), M. Alo-Emile (Castets, 52nd)
Coach:
Gonzalo Quesada
Pau:
Carol (Henry, 41st) - Tuimaba, Manu, Vatubua, Ikpefan - (o) Hastoy, (m) Daubagna (Le Bail, 55th) - Puech (Hewat, 55th), Joseph (Habel-Kuffner, 55th), Gorgadze - Tagitagivalu, Ramsay (Cummins, 41st) - Tokolahi (Corato, 48th), Rey (cap.) (Delhommel, 57th), Seneca (Calles, 48th)
Coach:
Sebastien Piqueronnies