Racing 92 corrected Bayonne to settle in the first six, Saturday, during the 24th day of the Top 14, also marked by the seizure of power by La Rochelle or by the burst of pride of Brive on the ground of the champion of France from Montpellier.
. Racing 92 takes on Bayonne
Seven tries and the offensive bonus point. Racing 92, with an XXL Gaël Fickou (two tries) and a gala Finn Russell (twenty points), got back into the race for the final phase after his demonstration in front of Bayonne (55-14).
The Ciel et Blancs took nearly an hour to get going but, once launched, Laurent Travers’ men seemed unstoppable, scoring five tries in the last twenty minutes.
Racing, systematically present in the final phase since its rise in the elite in 2009, is still alive with its new 4th place.
. La Rochelle, the pass of ten
And ten! The Stade Rochelais chained a tenth victory in a row, all competitions combined, by beating Toulon (23-8). Better, the European champion took control of the championship, putting Toulouse under pressure before the reception of the UBB.
Despite the yellow cards of Rémi Bourdeau (11th) and Antoine Hastoy (78th), Ronan O’Gara’s proteges did better than resist the Challenge Cup finalist, in a relocated match at the Vélodrome de Marseille.
Two tries from Will Skelton (6th) and Kyle Hatherell (73rd) allowed the Maritimes to strike a blow.
. Lyon plays with fire
Facing a team from Perpignan who were playing their skin in the Top 14, Lou played with fire (41-31). Xavier Garbajosa’s men only regained the lead five minutes from the end, thanks to a try from Baptiste Couilloud.
The Lyonnais won a crucial victory and now find themselves in fifth place.
For Usap, it’s a double whammy since Pau atomized Castres (40-3) and now has an eight-point lead over the Catalans, thirteenth and virtual play-offs. The Section almost saved its skin in the Top 14.
. Clermont shows its teeth
ASM is not dead. The pre-match was disrupted by the declarations of the second line international Sébastien Vahaamahina, forced to end his career after a new concussion and who charged the Auvergne club.
But the Jaunards raised their heads in front of Stade Français (32-16) to climb to 9th place and join the battle for the Champions Cup. Christophe Urios’ men, clumsy and approximate, however had to wait until the end of the match to get rid of the Parisians, still third.
. Brive stays alive
Good last since February, Brive is not yet relegated to Pro D2. Two days from the end, the CAB can still dream of an incredible feat after its burst of pride in front of Montpellier (27-26).
The Coujous, however reduced to fourteen after the red card from Axel Muller (22nd), went for this decisive success in stoppage time with a try from their third line Rodrigo Bruni when the siren had already sounded.
The 24th day of the Top 14 ends on Sunday with a clash at high altitude between Toulouse and Bordeaux-Bègles.
