Top 14: Stade Français loses to Montpellier but brings back the defensive bonus

End of series for Stade Français.

Winners of their last three meetings, the Parisians ended up losing (23-19) on Saturday at the end of the day in Montpellier, champion of France in difficulty in this Top 14. A small setback for the Parisians, but which brings still a valuable defensive bonus from their trip and remain second in the Top 14 behind Toulouse, their next opponent.

The game

Paris got off to a bad start, before gradually getting back into the swing of things.

After a missed penalty from the start by its opening half Nicolas Sanchez, the Stade Français first cracked on a long Montpellier sequence concluded by the third line Alexandre Becognée (7-0, 7th).

A first sanction, followed by approximations like this ugly forward from Giovanni Habel-Küffner (9th), a yellow card for Baptiste Pesenti (21st) and a penalty passed by Louis Carbonel.

But performing in melee and in touch, the Stade Français did not disunite during its numerical inferiority, returning to four points thanks to the foot of Sanchez.

And giving the impression of a fairly calm team against a hesitant formation after four setbacks in a row.

Problem: the start of the second period handicapped Paris as much as that of the first.

A big bludgeon from the Hérault forwards, and it was Vincent Rattez who ended up behind the try line (17-6, 47th).

A melee dominated at the entrance of the 22 meters, and it is Louis Carbonel who inflates the gap (20-6, 53rd).

To get back in the right direction, Juan John van der Mescht and his 140 kilos.

Entering the place of Baptiste Pesenti, the massive South African second line overthrows everything, and especially the fine wingers like Vincent Rattez, powerless to block his way to the in-goal (59th).

The fourth essay of the month for the 23-year-old colossus.

In the aftermath, Stade Français clearly took the upper hand, torturing its opponent during the day.

And in a confused end to the match, Paris could even have snatched the draw without a forward on a last attack.

Cautious, the Stadistes then preferred to take the penalty to ensure the defensive bonus.

“We take a point in Montpellier, that's good, welcomed Joris Segonds at the microphone of Canal +.

You have to hold him back, because he's going to score this point.

»

The player: Nicolas Sanchez

He had not played a single minute with Stade Français this season, weighed down by a calf injury with Argentina in August.

Nicolas Sanchez found the pink jersey, for a very mixed result.

Admittedly, the 34-year-old player at the end of his contract at the end of the season, spent two penalties to revive his team and offered himself a nice foray (17th) up to 22 meters.

But his failure against the poles at the start of the match, and especially his fake pass out of the ruck which gave the French champions the ball for the second try five meters from the line weighed on the other side of the scale.

He left the lawn, along with his hinge partner Morgan Parra back after a month and a half of injury, after fifty minutes of play. Sanchez needs playing time, but the benefits of Joris Segonds, his replacement today, don't plead too much to give him more at this time.

The number: 10

In points, the biggest defeat suffered by the men of Gonzalo Quesada since the start of the championship.

It was in Castres (30-20), during the first day of the Top 14 in early September.

Since then, the Stade Français has tightened the bolts.

Winners of all their matches at Jean-Bouin this season, the Parisians lost six points in Lyon at the end of September, then five in Bordeaux the following week, before this setback of four points in the Hérault.

A solidity which allows the Parisians to have already offered themselves two defensive bonus points.

MONTPELLIER - FRENCH STADIUM: 23-19

Half time: 10-6

Montpellier:

tests by Bécognée (7th), Rattez (47th);

Carbonel penalty (21st, 53rd, 65th);

Carbonel transformations (7th, 47th)

Stade Français:

try by Van der Mescht (59th);

penalties from Sanchez (25th, 31st) and Segonds (69th, 80th+1);

Segonds transformation (59th)