The Var club, which remained on two consecutive defeats and whose first victory in Paris for five years, temporarily goes back to 5th place (26 points), a good omen before receiving Racing 92.

Despite the bonus point snatched at the last second, the Pink Soldiers (4th, 27 pts) can harbor regrets, they who were leading at halftime (9-0) and who are preparing to host La Rochelle next Saturday.

"In the second half, we chained two, three very basic errors, we gave them gifts and Toulon took advantage of it to get back into the game," lamented their manager Gonzalo Quesada after the match.

The first period, choppy, messy, imprinted on both sides by waste, loss of balls, was very boring, it must be admitted, the players seeming to resume rugby after a long vacation and not after a simple international truce.

Toulon "took the ascendancy"

The penalties therefore accumulated, especially on the Var side, which the Parisians took advantage of thanks to the kick of their opener Joris Segonds (9-0, 26th).

Result of this frustration: tensions between players, which annoy referee Ludovic Cayre, to the point that on returning from the locker room, the two hookers, Mickaël Ivaldi on the Parisian side, and Anthony Etrillard on the Var side, are asked to join the edge of the field , punished for ten minutes.

Georgian Toulon player Bela Gigashvili during the Top 14 match against Stade Français on November 26, 2022 in Paris Thomas SAMSON AFP

This episode had the advantage of calming the spirits and refocusing everyone on the game, and the RCT took the opportunity to finally concretize its domination, scoring in a good way by its Georgian pillar Beka Gigashvili (9-7, 56th) .

The Varois, decidedly awakened, in which shine their scrum half Baptiste Serin, their winger Gabin Villière, back after six months without playing, and the captain of the Blues Charles Ollivon, precious, then passed in front in the score in the 62nd ( 10-9), before driving the point home, by the third line Facundo Isa (17-9, 67th).

In the second period, "we have the merit of being better strategically: we took the lead and never let go," Serin said after the match.

Stade Français, deprived of Morgan Parra on bleeding in the 57th minute and outnumbered after Giorgi Melikidze's card in the 67th minute, nevertheless limited the damage by taking the defensive bonus point, thanks to Segonds at the last second.

© 2022 AFP