Toulon believes in it, Clermont disappointed
Fourth victory at home (32-22), fifth success in seven games: the rise of Toulon, red lantern of the championship in mid-February, is underway. The Var club (9th, 46 pts) wants to believe it even if its schedule looks very complicated: trips to Lyon, Bordeaux-Bègles and Racing 92, and receptions from Toulouse and Pau, just that!
Clermont (8th, 48 pts), for its part, saw its series of three consecutive victories stopped at Mayol, while a derby against Brive awaits it on the next day. An express remobilization is therefore necessary on the side of Damian Penaud’s teammates.
Montpellier with forceps
Hard hard for the championship leader to win (37-22) against the Biarritz red lantern! Led until the 53rd minute, the MHR (64 pts) struggled and had to pull out all the stops to finally win, thanks in particular to a double from their new captain Paul Willemse, one of their “Slamards” , and an efficient bench (Mercer, Guirado).
Nothing to celebrate for the men of Philippe Saint-André who, with only six points ahead of their runner-up, the UBB, traveling to the Stade Français in the evening, will go to Aimé-Giral the next day to meet Usap, roadblocker (13th, 35 points). Biarritz, meanwhile, with eleven points behind the Catalan club precisely, will play its survival in the Top 14 in Aguilera next weekend against Pau (10th, 45 pts).
The Section which for its part imposed itself, thanks in particular to a hat-trick from Jordan Joseph, in its den of Hameau on the wire (27-22) against … Perpignan.
La Rochelle in the Top 3
Stade Rochelais, in 7th place before this 21st day, climbed into the Top 3 thanks to a victory over Racing 92 (19-0), in a dull match but crowned with a superb try from Berjon in the 78th: enough to reassure his manager Ronan O’Gara who had put pressure on his players after the large defeat in Toulon.
The Maritimes (54 pts) now have three matches in a row against Bordeaux-Bègles, in the league then in the round of 16 of the European Cup, which await them. For the Ile-de-France club (7th, 51 points), in addition to the “fanny” which is a stain, it is a very bad operation before their three derbies against the French stadium.
UBB wins big
Winner in Paris for the first time since December 2015, Bordeaux-Bègles did better than put an end to a series of five straight setbacks: the Girondins revived in the final sprint.
With a gala Maxime Lucu, author of sixteen points all by himself, Christophe Urios’ men consolidated their place on the podium. They are now two points behind MHR, leader, but also eight ahead of La Rochelle, third. A good omen before the home straight which begins against… the Maritimes in a week.
Brive surprises Castres
The Corréziens, who can no longer hope for much this season (12th, 42 points), scored a valuable bonus point for the maintenance race by surprising Castres (28-12), who now stagnates in 4th place, tied points (54) with La Rochelle.
It would not be a question for the Tarnais, who were content to make their strikers Benjamin Urdapilleta and Rory Kockott act, to repeat this kind of result if they want to stay in the Top 6, especially since they receive during of the next two days Toulouse, which will host Lyon on Sunday at the end of this day, and Clermont.