In front of the money time attack score, the Poitevins finally lost on a final test from La Baule, this Sunday, February 5, 2023 (22-19).
Late match of the fourteenth day, the meeting between Baulois and Poitevins was anything but an update of the schedule for this meeting postponed due to bad weather. Rather an opportunity for the players of Bertrand Guilloux who could confirm that with more concentration and consistency, for eighty minutes, they could compete with any team in the pool.
The leather was indeed in the hands of the Skies et Blancs for whom, from now on, the points of victory are worth their weight in gold in the perspective of maintenance. From the start of the match, it was a determined team from La Baule who started the debates, scoring twice by the boot of Morne Vletter (2e5e). But it was the Poitevins who scored the first try, after a classic attack ended victoriously by their hooker David Jallais. Emilien Monrouzeau converted (6-7, 14e).
These first minutes were going to set the tempo of the meeting, each team responding to each other tit for tat. At this little game, the visitors led at the break, 9-13. “We had implemented a new concept with a front five made up of five pillars. It was more by obligation than by tactic, confessed Bertrand Guilloux. Against a team that moves the ball a lot, we managed to be compact in defence. We also certainly wanted more than them on the combat phases. »
Another story of money-time…
But it will be necessary to wait for these famous last five minutes to see Thomas Cassen’s players lower their flag: “We lost the battle of the rucks and we are scratching too many balls and penalizing too much which prevented us from developing the game we wanted, at the speed we wanted. » Indeed, because the battle of occupation of the ground it is to the players of Poitiers that it returned.
“We are in front at the break, we certainly lacked a little juice to get some defensive climbs, get some tackles which could have prevented the Baulois from scoring. There are regrets, for sure, but also satisfaction with this bonus point. I think there was room to come back with the win but it’s true that we lost too many balls so…” A lucid conclusion with the feeling that it didn’t take much to come back with victory in Vienna.
Half time: 9-13.
Referee: M. Gouhesnant.
The Baule : 2E, Robert (65e), Van Der Nest (76‘), 4P Vletter (2e5e33e46e).
Yellow cards: Vletter (16e), Van Der Nest (56e).
Poitiers : 1E, Jallais (14e), 1T, Monrouzeau (15‘), 4P, Monrouzeau (29e35e57e74‘). White card: Pineau (69e).
