Two matches, two wins.
The XV of France beat Ireland (30-24), the other big favorite of the competition.
Fabien Galthié's men are now the last undefeated team and installed at the top of the standings before the rest week.
Against the XV of Clover, deprived of its emblematic captain Johnny Sexton, the Blues had to fight to extricate themselves from the trap posed by the men of Andy Farrell.
They were able to bend without breaking, to win thanks to twenty points at the foot of Melvyn Jaminet and two tries from Antoine Dupont (2nd) and Cyril Baille (54th).
The clash between the last two scorers of the All Blacks has long been as suffocating as it is undecided, the fault of the catchy Irishmen who knew how to keep the Blues under pressure.
In the other meeting of the day, the Welsh defending champions got scared.
They can thank Racing 92 opener Finn Russell, temporarily excluded in the 68th minute, for a voluntary forward.
Two minutes later, Dan Biggar passed the winning drop.
Thank you, goodbye: Wales overcame Scotland and managed to hide their poor performance on the first day against Ireland (29-7).
Pillar Cyril Baille scores the second try of the XV of France against Ireland in Saint-Denis, February 12, 2022 FRANCK FIFE AFP
The Leek XV therefore remains alive before the week of rest and can still hope to retain its title.
In the standings, the Blues therefore remain in the lead with nine points, three more than Ireland.
Then follow Scotland (5 pts) and Wales (4 pts), waiting for the end of the 2nd day, Sunday, with England (1 pt) which goes to Italy (0 pt) to move on to something else, after his setback in Scotland (20-17).
During the 3rd day, France will travel to Scotland while England will host Wales.
Finally, Italy will go to Ireland to hope to put an end to its negative series of more than thirty defeats in a row.
© 2022 AFP