Top 14: LOU-UBB, the war of 9 will take place

Of course, there are X-factors, stars, capable of making the difference in this barrage between ambitious (for now) frustrated. Lyon will count on the striking force of Josua Tuisova, who has panicked the statistics during the regular season: 19 crossings (1st in the Top 14), 82 defenders beaten (2nd), 29 offloads (3rd) and, even, 15 scratched balls (2nd). A demolition undertaking in itself, a tireless undermining work rewarded by eight tries scored.

To discover

• Schedule and results Top 14
• Top 14 Ranking

New Zealand number 8 Liam Allen, his compatriot at the opening Lima Sopoaga, who has not yet displayed all his class, or the neo-Blue Ethan Dumortier, the winger with 10 tries in Top 14 (2nd best score behind the Palois Gailleton, 14) are also expected to force the decision.

Bordeaux, for its part, hopes that its brilliant opener, Matthieu Jalibert, too often upset by injuries this season, will let burst his (strong) pride to pack the meeting, get out of strokes of genius. Or that the new UFO (appellation contrôlée Fabien Gathié) Louis Bielle-Biarrey makes speak his art of the counter-foot and his speed to strike the Lyon defense. Unless the explosive English third-line Tom Willis chases the LOU until it exhausts it.

A rivalry, necessarily lively, between the two understudies of Dupont in the blue jersey

But if these players, and others, can shine and become the hero of the evening by blowing up the play-off, this duel between two teams not presenting the same kind of beauty (Lyon finished best attack of the regular season with 81 tries scored, against only 53 by the Girondins) will certainly boil down to a duel of scrum-halfs, mahouts, pack leaders. To the rivalry, necessarily lively, between the two understudies of Antoine Dupont in the tricolor jersey: Baptiste Couilloud and Maxime Lucu (who took a clear advantage by imposing himself as the real No. 2)

Style opposition guaranteed. The Lyonnais impulses, explodes at the bottom, watches for the slightest opening in the opposing wall to, with an acceleration, infiltrate it. More detonator than manager. Bordeaux is more classic. Distributor and moderator, who uses the game at the foot of occupation. Maxime Lucu is thus the 2nd player (behind Bayonne's Camille Lopez) to have played the most footwork (217 times), making UBB the regular season team with the most taps in the current game (31.2 times per game, according to official statistics).

Logically, Couilloud crossed the goal line seven times in the Top 14 when Lucu settled for just one try. Which, however, makes up for its delay thanks to its efficiency against the poles (13/13 in the last two games, decisive for qualification).

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The little bombshell" against "the regulator"

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Diametrically opposed qualities. It remains to be seen which of the two will make better use of it. Will lead his team to success. Will catch the eye of the coach for a hierarchy (behind Dupont) maintained or questioned. Couilloud the fire or Lucu the ice? Baptiste the gentleman 100,000 volts - "a particle accelerator, a small bomb", summarizes his manager Xavier Garbajosa - or Maxime the quiet father - "the regulator" according to his coach, Julien Laïrle?

The outcome of this duel will certainly be the key to this undecided barrage, between the all-out attack and the Atlantic Wall, UBB posting the 4th defense (501 points conceded) of the regular season.