Mathieu WARNIER, Media365, published on Sunday January 02, 2022 at 5:55 p.m.
While Toulouse fell this Saturday in Clermont, Bordeaux-Bègles got the better of Biarritz despite a missed end of the match (30-27) and distance a little more from the defending French champion in the standings.
If the victory is there, we will have to go back for the way! At the end of a meeting during which the UBB players too rarely shone, the proteges of a visibly angry Christophe Urios passed in less than a quarter of an hour from an enhanced victory which handed them the arm to a narrow victory over a team from Biarritz who was red lantern at kick-off. A shock of extremes which started with a hard blow on the BO side with the exit first on concussion protocol and then final by Tevita Kuridrani from the 2nd minute. Established at the opening for the UBB, François Trinh-Duc missed the boat a minute later and left Ilian Perraux the honor to open the scoring at the foot of the quarter of an hour of play. former scorer of the XV of France was quick to settle the sights, equalizing in the 18th minute. Far from being brilliant in the first half hour of play, the Gironde club ended up finding a loophole in the Basque defense. At the end of an action on which the playing times have multiplied, Louis Picamoles resisted the returns of James Cronin and Gavin Stark to flatten the first try of the meeting. A gap which swelled shortly before half-time on a great opportunism from François Trinh-Duc. On a return from the goal line, the number 10 Girondin recovered the ball and slammed a drop. But the gap between the two teams when they returned to the locker room was reduced to seven points.
Bordeaux-Bègles thought they had signed a five-point victory
A second penalty from Ilian Perraux, on an action that saw Clément Maynadier receive a yellow card penalizing a multiplication of faults on the Bordeaux-Bègles side, allowed the BO to reduce the gap. The start of the second half saw the two teams neutralize each other due to too much imprecision. Even a numerical advantage following the yellow card Henry Speight received following an irregular tackle on Santiago Cordero did not allow UBB to make the difference. But we must never relax in the face of a team like Bordeaux-Bègles, especially when Matthieu Jalibert returns to the field. It only took three minutes and two inspirations for the Girondin club to get underway for the offensive bonus. After a failure at the foot of Ilian Perraux, an action initiated by an acceleration of Matthieu Jalibert then stints from Alexandre Roumat, Maxime Lucu and Cameron Woki allowed Federico Mori to go to the test. In the process, at the exit of a maul, Rémi Lamerat perfectly offset Ulupano Seuteni who, despite two defenders, made use of his power to flatten the offensive bonus test. However, the five-point victory only lasted four minutes. Not wanting to leave Chaban-Delmas with regrets, the Biarrots have returned to the intensity of their game and the Gironde defense could not follow. While Romain Lonca could not flatten after a carried ball, Tornike Jalagonia followed perfectly to flatten his team’s first try.
Biarritz has been rewarded for its fighting spirit
Four minutes from the siren, perfectly offset by Matthieu Jalibert, Federico Mori turned into a balancing act to flatten into a corner in an action that seriously injured a cameraman present at the edge of the field. With so little time left to play, everything indicated that UBB would take five points this Sunday but, with all their hearts, the Biarrots never gave up and fined the Girondine defense. Just before the siren, Romain Lonca was shifted to the right wing to flatten into a corner, bringing the BO closer to a defensive bonus try with a few seconds left to play. Insisting on this last action, the Biarrots multiplied the faults among their opponents, one of which earned Matthieu Jalibert a yellow card. Five minutes after the siren, on a penalty played by hand on the five-meter line, Francis Saili forced the Bordeaux defensive curtain to flatten a test heavy with consequences for the BO. If Bordeaux-Bègles wins (30-27) and takes advantage of the setback conceded by Toulouse to Clermont to take a five-point lead at the top of the Top 14, Biarritz abandons the red lantern. Indeed, the defensive bonus point snatched at the last second allows the BO to return to equality with Perpignan and, a week from a direct confrontation with the Catalans, cede the red lantern to USAP. A point taken on the lawn of the leader who, in the end, could be worth gold for the Biarrots.
TOP 14 / 14TH DAY
Saturday January 1, 2022
Stade Français Paris – Perpignan : 27-17
Clermont – Toulouse : 16-13
Sunday January 2, 2022
Pau – Brive : 43-20
Bordeaux-Begles – Biarritz : 30-27
18h00: Castres – La Rochelle
21h05 : Lyon – Racing 92
Postponed to a later date
Montpellier – Toulon
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