Paris (AFP)
After dominating Clermont (22-14) then Perpignan (23-22), Gonzalo Quesada's men confirmed their current good form against Lou with a new victory which allows them to temporarily climb to 8th place.
They thus come out, for the first time of the season, from a red zone into which they had plunged after three setbacks at the start of the year.
This success was still laborious, a sign that the Stade Français is not yet completely cured of all its ills.
Clumsy and imprecise (13 penalties, 10 turnovers), even downright feverish (yellow card from Tolu Latu, 46th), the Parisians indeed played with fire after a first period generally under control, where they scored two tries by Kylan Hamdaoui ( 30th) and Arthur Coville (39th).
The Pink Soldiers were able to rely on an XXL Macalou, in all the right moves before leaving to join the Blues at Marcoussis on Sunday and in particular author of an offering as incredible as it was generous on the Coville test.
But they eased off in the second half and allowed the Lyonnais, however amorphous, to return to the match, first by Dylan Cretin (53rd) then by Yanis Charcosset (57th).
A week after having brought down the Toulouse leader from his throne, the Lou ended up tripping over Paris, its conquering forwards and its applied defense.
Muzzled, the Lyonnais, yet the best attack in the championship before this meeting (22 tries scored, 192 points scored), fell on a bone, like the former All Blacks opener Lima Sopoaga, who waited too long before entering a penalty that would have allowed Lou to come back within range (66th).
It will be necessary to do more in Montpellier, in a week, for a shock between ambitious with sawtooth performances.
The French Stadium, it goes to Pau, head held high.
© 2021 AFP