Paris (AFP)

After two heavy defeats, the French Stadium relaunched by obtaining an enhanced success against Castres (29-9) thanks to two tries by the returning Sekou Macalou at the end of the match, Sunday during the 15th day of the Top 14.

In addition to the flashes of his third international line, which had not played since early December, the Parisians were able to take advantage of the approximations and indiscipline of Castrais, sanctioned with two yellow cards.

They made the difference by also relying on the play at the foot of their opener Joris Segonds, in a game from time to time soporific.

This success, the sixth in a row at home, allows the men of Gonzalo Quesada, to return to Lyon in seventh place and two points from the wagon of the final phase.

Castres remains eleventh, with seven points ahead of the red zone, and will play two important matches for maintenance over the next two weekends, against Bayonne then Montpellier.

The weather conditions, with abundant rain, did not help the two teams but this time the Pink Soldiers - who were playing in blue - did not take the water as during their last two outings, in Toulouse ( 48-24), leader, then Toulon (35-13).

After a rather dull first half hour, the third line Pablo Matera appeared 10 meters from the goal line to break the line and materialize a good Parisian construction.

A first try in Top 14 which should give balm to the heart of the captain of Argentina, shaken at the end of 2020 by the affair of his old racist tweets, exhumed in the middle of the Rugby Championship in Australia.

Upon returning from the locker room, Matera received a yellow card and offered a penalty to Castres, transformed by his compatriot Benjamin Urdapilleta (13-6).

The game was balanced but the Parisians held up well in defense and made the difference in scrum.

The Castres, deprived of several players including N.8 Anthony Jelonch, in training in Nice with the XV of France, have not managed to catch up.

Segonds breathed new life into his team less than twenty minutes away by scoring two more valuable penalties.

Then Macalou, who entered the second half, appeared twice to protect Stade Français and offer him the offensive bonus.

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