Toulouse (AFP)
The only two teams that had not yet won this season in the Top 14, La Rochelle and Stade Français, spent the first Saturday during a fourth day also marked by the burst of pride of Racing 92 against Lyon.
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Day of premieres
It was a little overdue, but La Rochelle's first victory of the season was signed in great lengths against Biarritz (59-17).
La Rochelle slipped temporarily to 10th place, pending the matches of its direct pursuers Toulon and Clermont.
Everything was already folded at half-time (33-0), with three tries from New Zealand scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow (14 ', 22' and 40 '), opportunist behind a dominating pack.
La Rochelle scrum-half, New Zealander Tawera Kerr-Barlow, scores one of his three tries, during the Top 14 home match against Biarritz, September 25, 2021 at Stade Marcel-Deflandre XAVIER LEOTY AFP
Performing at home so far, the Basque club had largely turned for this trip to the Marcel-Deflandre stadium, sold out for the 57th time in a row.
The public of Jean-Bouin was more sparse to attend the awakening of the French Stadium against Castres (34-10).
Stade Français scrum-half, South African James Hall, scores a try despite the tackle from Castres second line Simon Meka, during their Top 14 match, on September 25, 2021 at Stade Jean Bouin FRANCK FIFE AFP
Thanks to this first success, Gonzalo Quesada's men go back to 13th place, before the match of Perpignan, last in the standings, against Toulouse on Saturday evening (9:05 p.m.)
The Parisian red lantern however saw red from the 3rd minute after a dangerous tackling of his Samoan right pillar Paul Alo-Emile.
Outnumbered for 77 minutes, the Pink Soldiers came together to inflict on the Tarn their first setback of the season.
The Toulouse Stadium, which will host Clermont on Sunday evening (9:05 p.m.), is the last undefeated team.
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The quarter of an hour in Ile-de-France
Stung in its pride by its defeat last weekend at the promoted Biarritz (28-19), Racing 92 reacted perfectly against LOU (24-20) and stole second place in the standings from its opponent.
The Hauts-de-Seine club scored three tries in the first quarter of an hour, by three international tricolors: the three-quarter center Gaël Fickou (3 '), the hooker Camille Chat (11') and the third row Ibrahim Diallo (13 '), at the end of a superb collective movement.
Racing 92 hooker Camille Chat during the Top 14 home match against Aviron Bayonnais, November 29, 2020 at Paris La Défense Arena in Nanterre Anne-Christine POUJOULAT AFP / Archives
The Parisians then seemed, at 21-0, permanently sheltered under the roof of their Arena, but the LOU gradually made up for its delay and made them doubt until the end.
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A UBB with two faces
So what could Christophe Urios say to his players at half-time?
The walls of the changing rooms of the Chaban-Delmas stadium have no doubt trembled as Bordeaux-Bègles, then led (10-9), showed a completely different face after the break to win against Brive (29-10) and take the 4th square.
Driven by its powerful New Zealand winger Ben Lam, who scored twice, the UBB narrowly failed to win the offensive bonus.
The joy of Bordeaux-Bègles players, after the third try scored by New Zealand winger Benjamin Misimoa, during the Top 14 home match against Brive, September 25, 2021 at Stade Chaban-Delmas MEHDI FEDOUACH AFP
A former member of the Gironde house, Marco Tauleigne, stood out in his new jersey, but his double, including a mermaid test, was not enough in Montpellier, beaten by a hair in Pau (23-22) .
As against Toulouse last week (17-15 defeat), the MHR, which scored two more tries than the Section, may regret the lack of success of its scorers, Paolo Garbisi and Anthony Bouthier.
The French international full-back notably missed the transformation of the win at the very end of the match.
© 2021 AFP