SUA Rugby qualifies for Espoirs Elite pool finals by beating Basques on last day

“Bayonne may have been better today, but you went for this victory with heart! This qualification, you went to get it at 70. ” In a circle, the whole Espoirs group gathered savored. At the end of a painful match against Bayonne, but oh so important, the SUA U22s snatched their second consecutive ticket for the finals by finishing 3rd in their group. This while being deprived, during the second part of the season, of a large part of their typical team, taking into account the injured or the players retained with the pros or the Bleuets.

“This qualification means that all the players in this Espoirs group have done the job,” maintains manager Olivier Campan. The return of Romain Darchen was good. Like that of Julien Lebian. Hugo Pradin, the usual scrum-half, moved at the opening to drag Jean into the middle. “But the boys pulled through.” Indeed, if the SUA had difficulties to be precise in its game, nothing to say about the commitment and the determination of the young Agenais.

Bayonne dangerous until the end

Because the Basques came with real intentions, they who had no other choice to win to hope to qualify. Strong and organized, they posed problems and were always glued to the score. For their part, the Lot-et-Garonnais relied on their pack, formidable in melee. On the other hand, like the professional team, the offensive touch was in difficulty. In this sector, the counterattacks of Lebian and Rodrigues ensured a statistical balance but this did not allow the SUA to take shelter. The Bayonne test just before half-time left an unbearable suspense floating above Appendix 2.

Alex Brocas’ try seven minutes from the end should have been liberating (22-14). But Bayonne quickly passed a new penalty (77th). The last seconds were terrible in intensity and courage, the Basques throwing everything, the Agenais doing the same. But it was ultimately the hearts of Campan and Garcia’s men who triumphed in this fierce showdown, taking third place in the standings behind Brive and Toulouse.

In fact, in a fortnight, on neutral ground, the “blue and white” will face Colomiers in the quarter-finals. A very special poster for some of the Espoirs players of the SUA, who had lost in 2019 the final of the France Crabos championship against the Haut-Garonne. The time for revenge is about to come. Especially since the Agenais will reintegrate into their ranks the Garrigues, Dayral, Joseph, Bonnet, Gayraud and Nalaga. “In full, we can overturn mountains,” Campan smiled mischievously, who knows the strength of his group. Even more after yesterday’s game.