The 13-48 defeat of the BO against Castres, this Saturday during the 24th day, will have been one too many: the Basques will evolve in Pro D2 next season.
Bad operations. The Montpellier leader, beaten by Lyon, missed the opportunity to formalize his place in the final phase while Biarritz, knocked out by Castres, is relegated to Pro D2, Saturday, the evening of the 24th day of Top 14.
Montpellier in Lou’s mouth
Montpellier can’t do it anymore. Almost guaranteed to play in the final phase, the MHR, leader, does not manage to take this last step: with three defeats in a row, all competitions combined, the Héraultais are marking time and will have to wait a little longer. The last, in Lyon (43-20), hurt the men of Philippe Saint-André. Unable to shake the Lyonnais, they also lost their international pillar Mohamed Haouas, excluded for an uncontrolled tackle, full speed and head to head. Les Gones are back in the race for qualification.
No miracle in Biarritz
Touched flowed. The BO, dominated by Castres (48-13) failed to save his skin: this seventh loss in a row in the Top 14 validates Basque relegation. For its part, the CO temporarily settles on the podium thanks to its fourth away success this season. Their schedule (Perpignan at home, Pau away) can allow the Tarnais to dream of a place in the semi-finals.
Racing 92 is playing with fire
Faced with Pau (42-21), which has nothing more to play for, Racing 92 went for a victory with improved character after a first half-hugging period. As often, Laurent Travers’ men woke up in the second half. They were also well helped by the indiscipline of the Section, sanctioned by three yellow cards (Seneca 36th, Corato 45th, Ramsay 69th). As a result, the Ciel et Blancs, with a fit Juan Imhoff and a successful Maxime Machenaud, are now temporarily in 4th place, eight points ahead of Toulouse, the reigning French champion, currently 7th and who receives La Rochelle later in the evening.
In the other meetings of the day, the French Stadium almost sent Clermont (29-26) on vacation thanks to a cataclysmic second period of the Auvergnats (21-7). But a wake-up call and a try by Sébastien Bézy on the wire allowed ASM to win. And to maintain the chances of qualification. Finally, Perpignan regained color by dominating Brive (27-10). Still 13th and penultimate, the Catalans (39 pts) will have to take, during the last two days, four points more than the Brivistes (42 pts) to overtake them and save their skin in the Top 14.