Castres (AFP)
The Stade français, which had not played a game for six months and played the last quarter of an hour at fourteen, achieved a great performance by winning on the lawn of Castres 22-16, Sunday during the 2nd day of Top 14.
Last in the standings during the stoppage of last season and lacking benchmarks after a preparation very disturbed by confinement then a wave of Covid-19 contaminations which deprived it of friendly matches, the Parisian club seems to have forgotten its hassles gone.
For the return to competition on a French bench of the Argentinian coach Gonzalo Quesada, architect of the last Top 14 coronation of the French Stadium in 2015, his men showed a lot of character and this victory should count for the future.
On the other hand, it is a stop for the Tarn deprived of the defensive bonus, after their success in Agen (26-22) during the first day.
The Parisians, beaten 46 to 16 last season in the Tarn, and unable to win any away game before the interruption of the championship (8 defeats and 1 draw), first took advantage of the indiscipline of Castres ( 0-6, 8th) before being picked up on the first try of the match, validated by video refereeing, after a great initiative from Tarn opener Benjamin Urdapilleta (10-9, 19th).
- Despite the boxes -
A short-lived advantage since two minutes later the Parisian number 8 Sekou Macalou gave back the advantage to his people on a percussion as fierce as decisive (16-9, 21st).
Hungry, the Parisians kept this small mattress until rest thanks in particular to a penalty obtained after a sovereign scrum just before the siren (19-13, 40th).
Returning to three points on the return from the locker room, the Tarn were unable to take advantage of the yellow card inflicted on the Parisian pillar Giorgi Melikidze (53rd), nor the final exclusion of the Parisian captain Paul Alo-Emile for a tackle at the shoulder (65th).
On the contrary, it was the Parisians who sanctioned yet another foul from Castres (22-16, 70), thanks to a new penalty from their Argentinian opener Nicolas Sanchez (5/6).
Heroic, the Parisians were scared the last on the try refused by Mr. Cayre to the Castres winger Filipo Nakosi (74), but they had the last word.
They now have fifteen days to prepare for the reception in Bayonne on October 2.
Castres, for its part, will have a lot to do during a perilous trip on the lawn of Leicester, next Sunday in the quarter-final of the European Challenge.
© 2020 AFP