Lyon (AFP)
Lyon, solid and realistic, took the top of the Top 14 after his victory over Toulouse (22-12) Sunday at Gerland, after a closing match of the second day unspectacular.
The Lyonnais are tied with Bordeaux-Bègles (9) but with a better difference while the Stade Toulouse, conceding a second defeat in a row, is 12th with a single point.
Led by opener and striker Jonathan Wisniewski and Australian flanker Liam Gill, absent against Paris the week before, the LOU, strong in defense and conquest, suffered against a diminished French champion.
The former played a decisive role, inscribing fourteen points (four penalties, one transformation).
After a failed try to winger Xavier Mignot, Jonathan Wisniewski opened the scoring on penalties (3-0, 4th), then winger Noa Nakaitaci scored in corner on the second offensive Lyon to give input a good lead to his team (10-0, 7th).
Quickly led, the Toulouse did not manage to take the enemy defense of speed and tried to pass in force.
But two mauls (27th, 28th) were repulsed by the Lyonnais, with a decisive intervention of the 2nd South African line Etienne Oosthuizen on the hooker Toulouse Guillaume Marchand (28th).
In the first half, the French champion could only register two penalties.
After half-time, he paid some risky choices, such as this penalty quickly played by hand by Sébastien Bézy at the feet of the Lyon posts, concluded by a forward (54th).
Above all, Toulouse did not know how to take advantage of its numerical superiority at the end of the match after the final exclusion imposed on Lyon's second line Loann Goujon (60).
On the contrary, Wisniewski gave the air to his team (19-12, 74th) to ensure a deserved success and deprive Toulouse of the defensive bonus before a final penalty of Ngatai.
© 2019 AFP