Toulouse (AFP)
While waiting for the shock at the top in the evening between Toulouse and Racing 92, Lyon and the French Stadium spent Saturday between the drops of a 22nd day of Top 14 seriously disturbed, like the previous one, by the Covid-19, with four new postponed matches.
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One more postponement
Uncertainty hovered all week over the holding of the meeting between Bordeaux-Bègles and Montpellier.
Shifted initially from Friday to Sunday, it was finally postponed Saturday after a Girondin player presented symptoms while his club has been affected for two weeks by the Covid-19.
A new postponement which has been added to those of Bayonne-Castres, Brive-La Rochelle and Toulon-Agen, as well as to the four of the previous day.
What to predict a beautiful puzzle in the coming weeks to rearrange the calendar by the start of the final phase, especially for UBB and Montpellier, still in the race in the European Cup and European Challenge.
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Lyon, the right operation
In ambush behind Toulouse and La Rochelle to snatch one of the first two directly qualifying places for the semi-finals, Clermont missed the opportunity in Lyon, winner 41-30, to get closer to the leading duo.
The good operation is therefore for the LOU, which takes advantage of the forced unemployment of its first two direct competitors, Bordeaux-Bègles and Toulon, to temporarily climb to fifth place and keep a hope of grabbing the top 6.
Deprived of their usual openers and scorers, Jonathan Wisniewski and Camille Lopez, injured, the two teams alternated highlights.
In a comfortable position at the break after a spectacular try by their powerful winger Josua Tuisova and the red card inflicted on Clermont third row Judicaël Cancoriet, the Lyonnais nevertheless let their opponent return to the match, thanks in particular to the good entry of Morgan Parra.
They finally won on the wire, with a new try from Tuisova, her 12th of the season, which deprives the Auvergnats of the defensive bonus.
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The French stadium on the right foot
We wondered if the Stade Français would not lack rhythm against Pau after a month without playing between the European window and the postponement of the Ile-de-France derby against Racing 92 last weekend.
Put on the right track by Sekou Macalou, omnipresent in the first period, the Parisians did not take long to respond to outline a large unsuccessful success (46-32), despite six marked tries, which allows them to continue dreaming of final phase.
Relaunched by their victory against Bayonne (43-33) last Friday, the Pau, still penultimate, three lengths from the Basques with one more match, will still have to whip to avoid a downhill barrage.
Double reason for hope for the next day: a trip to the red lantern and painkiller, Agen, with the reinforcement at the opening of the South African world champion Elton Jantjies, who will then have finished his period of isolation.
© 2021 AFP