Bordeaux (AFP)
Bordeaux-Bègles, author of a mad finish, won in the joy of Chaban the fight of the leaders of the Top 14 in front of Lyon (37-19), which it again dispossesses of its first place, Saturday in opening of the 15th day.
Irresistible Girondins! Challenged all along by the LOU, leader at the height and still in ambush (20-19) ten minutes before the end, the men of Christophe Urios accelerated in the wake of Santiago Cordero to finally tip the scales on their side, with the icing on the cake an almost unexpected offensive bonus.
A crossing of the Argentinian to serve Seta Tamanivalu (72), then a rush in the middle of the big guys on an inside pass from Maxime Lucu (76) got the better of Pierre Mignoni's men, who cracked at the wrong time.
Thanks to this success, the UBB is three points ahead of its victim of the day, stubbornly a little higher at the top of the Top 14 and can legitimately believe in a first historic qualification for the Top 6, without even going through the + dams + box.
To do a recital, you need maestros. Bordeaux had two on the field on Saturday: the Puma Cordero, but also Semi Radradra which had managed to keep its own afloat in the first period, before taking them to the lead when returning from the locker room thanks to a double that he has the secret to.
The first try (34), in force at the end of a penalouche when he had just returned from penance for a dangerous tackle on Toby Arnold (23), responded to a logical scoring by the Lyonnais who had also scored on penal touch by sending Mickaël Ivaldi in the beginning (17).
On the second, on the recovery on an air balloon recovered by Romain Buros with a relay from Rémi Lamerat, the Fijian made his difference as usual in the race to put his front (17-10), but not in the 'shelter.
Because the teammates of a great Charlie Ngatai continued to do more than doubt the Bordeaux, out of inspiration in the face of the tough defense of visitors, who even then took the ascendancy in melee and on the ground.
The two triggers Ngatai from afar and Jonathan Wisniewski even brought their colors closer on three penalties, before they took the Union tide in the last eight minutes.
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