Paris (AFP)

Eight minutes after the siren, Bordeaux-Bègles scored a decisive try, synonymous with a reversal of the situation in Clermont, beaten by a point (37-36) at the end of an insane game, Saturday during the 15th day of the Top 14 , marked by the stoppage of Toulon.

The hero of the day, Girondin side, is 20 years old and is called Nathanaël Hulleu.

The substitute right winger, entered in the second half, flattened the ball in a tightrope walk at the corner post, resisting a desperate tackle and considered dangerous from Clermontois Alivereti Raka, sanctioned.

Five minutes earlier, the player trained in Grenoble had already hit the mark but had seen his first attempt refused due to a touchdown by one of his partners on the opposite wing.

"I thought Nathanaël's first try was valid so I went back to the locker room. But no ..." commented Bordeaux coach Christophe Urios, "proud of (his) players" and "happy" for his young winger .

"He is in a phase of preparation for next season. It shows that he has temperament, like the team. He is a good kid, he works well and fights to play," added the coach, who had been disillusioned by the first performance of his flock against Clermont (16-16), two weeks ago.

"We did not know how to win and that swells me," said the coach, in a flowery language that he likes.

Saturday night, he can savor: his team climbs to 4th place in the standings after this fourth success in five matches.

Unbeaten in 2021, the UBB had previously beaten three other “big ones”, Racing 92 (33-32), Lyon (31-9) and Toulon (31-18).

Only downside this year: the draw conceded at home against Jaunards who looked crestfallen on their land on Saturday.

"You learn by taking slaps in the face, but it's ch ...", railed Auvergne coach Franck Azéma.

"There is nothing complicated to master but you have to do it well. We have a ten-point lead five minutes from the end. We have to master this tempo and win the match," he said. added.

- Pau crunches the LOU -

His team nevertheless remains in sixth place, the last folding seat on the train for the final phase, since its first pursuer, Lyon, was surprised in its Gerland stadium by Pau (18-17).

The Section, which fights for maintenance, had not taken a bite of the LOU since September 10, 2017!

The Pau team conceded two tries without registering a single one but built their feat thanks to the efficiency of their scorers Samuel Marques (four penalties) and Antoine Hastoy (two penalties), who entered the second half.

The opener is having a great weekend after taking part, as a sparring partner, in the France team's internship in Nice.

After this third home defeat of the season, Lyon will have to react to stay in the title race.

Toulon is still well placed (5th in the standings) but the RCT saw its good momentum, after convincing successes on Racing 92 and the French Stadium, to break in Brive (25-23).

The CAB relied on their pack of forwards and an iron defense to maintain their lead until the end.

The Var maintained the suspense by scoring a second try less than a quarter of the term by the Georgian pillar Beka Gigashvili.

But the Brivists held their feat.

This is their third success in a row.

The sixth in seven matches.

© 2021 AFP