Agen (AFP)
Toulon easily won and pocketed the offensive bonus to Agen (44-25) by scoring six tries, including two dubbed Julien Hériteau and Mamuka Gorgodze, Saturday on the first day of Top 14.
Ninth only the previous season (14 defeats in 26 games), Toulon had announced want to erase this painful memory as soon as possible. The Var have kept their word by surpassing a modest SU Agen on his lawn.
Beaten here last season (10-19), the RCT had won only two away games, but the men of Patrice Collazo quickly set the record on the first test of Gorgodze after a defensive error from Agen (3-8, 20th).
In front of the break (18-13) thanks to the first try of center Julien Hériteau, a former SUA, the RCT has definitely taken the measure of his opponent on the doubled Hériteau (13-23, 51) and Gorgodze ( 13-37, 60e).
Reduced to 13 after the two successive yellow cards of Daniel Ikpefan (63) and Corentin Vernet (64), the Agenais reduced the score thanks to another doubled, of Lamoulie this time (20-37, 69e).
It was a pain because Julian Savea, in power, closed the ball. For Agen and his new technician Christophe Laussucq, who took the place of Mauricio Reggiardo this summer, the reception of Brive, next Saturday, will be already a crucial appointment against a direct competitor for maintenance.
Toulon, for its part, will pass a probably more significant test next weekend on the lawn of the Union Bordeaux-Bègles.
© 2019 AFP