If in the classification Castres (4th) doubles Toulouse, Toulon (13th) has almost lost all its hopes of qualifying for the end-of-season play-offs.

Beaten on his lawn, the RCT has only 23 points in 14 days.

It would now take a miracle for Franck Azéma's men to be able to enter the play-offs, they who are still three games behind.

For their part, the Castres have again confirmed their intentions.

The Toulonnais again stammered their rugby from the start of the match.

Unable to really mark their opponent physically, or to put points on the scoreboard, they remained under threat from Castres.

Despite several good moves, including their Fijian Olympic champion winger Jiuta Wainiqolo, rare satisfaction of the evening, their lack of control in touch and the loss of the ball in the rucks prevented them from continuing.

It is therefore logical that the Tarnais exploited the first flaw: Filipo Nakosi left alone on his wing before serving his scrum half Kockott who spun on the try even if the pass seemed forward (24th).

Led 7-0 on their lawn, the Toulonnais immediately reacted by going to camp five meters from the opposing goal line.

But eye-catching as usual, the Castres made several mistakes to slow down the opposing advance, sanctioned by two yellow cards (Florent Vanverberghe then Kockott).

In numerical superiority, the Varois had all the trouble in the world to cross the line and it was with a penalty try that they picked up the score (7-7, 37th), as a symbol of their helplessness.

The Toulonnais were able to count on the flashes of Wainiqolo, in all the good moves of the Var, to come back close to the Tarn line, and Louis Carbonel took charge of putting the two teams back on par after the hour mark (10-10 , 62nd).

The meeting then seemed to turn to the advantage of Toulon, but the indiscipline of the Varois cost them the victory, and perhaps much more.

They fell back into their ways and offered two penalties to Benjamín Urdapilleta in front of the posts (69th, 73rd).

Then the Tarn opener passed a furious drop (75th) to total nine points in six minutes.

He then added a penalty before the siren, definitively ending Toulon's hopes.

If the Castres will benefit from two weeks of rest before receiving Lyon, the Toulonnais will have to play the first of their three matches late, next Saturday, in Mayol against the leader, Bordeaux-Bègles.

© 2022 AFP