Three months to the day after his last success, at home against Brive (18-11), the reigning French champion has reassured himself, at least in accounting terms, after two defeats in a row at home, but his performance together turned out to be very sluggish all the same.
Ejected from the Top 6 at kick-off after the results of the day before, the Toulousains nevertheless ensured the essentials by finding a place more in line with their ambitions to return to a point from Castres (5th), who has a match in more.
Beaten for the third time in a row, the Bordelo-Béglais have saved their place as leaders thanks to the defensive bonus point which gives them a lead only over Montpellier, which has one game less.
Ten internationals absent in Toulouse, three in Bordeaux, also deprived of many important injured players: the shock of this 19th day pitted two teams for the less hybrid.
This perhaps explains the many clumsiness on both sides, in particular that of the yet very experienced Toulouse back Maxime Médard, guilty of a gross error of assessment in his in-goal, which allowed Jean-Baptiste Dubié to give the advantage at UBB (3-5, 6th).
Flawless Holmes
Unable to hold the ball for several game times, the Toulouse finally took advantage of the Gironde indiscipline to lead by a small point at the break thanks to the faultless at the foot of their opener Zack Holmes (9-8).
Weaned from big flights, the meeting never unbridled, the fault of its countless dross and it was the scorers who finally decided the fate of a match that will not go down in history.
Bordeaux-Bègles flanker Thomas Jolmes is tackled by the Toulouse defense, at the end of the 19th day of the Top 14, on February 27, 2022 at the Stade Ernest-Wallon Valentine CHAPUIS AFP
If the young opener Mateo Garcia first restored the advantage to his team (9-11, 54th), his Australian alter ego continued his faultless (12-11, 70th) to offer an oh so important victory to Toulouse.
For the show, they will see later.
© 2022 AFP