The Pink Soldiers have resources.
Two tries conceded in the first quarter of an hour were not enough to disturb the men of Gonzalo Quesada, sure of their strength in Jean-Bouin and who did not leave the slightest crumb to the MHR.
The reigning French champion, who concedes a fourth loss in a row, sees the Top 6 move away a little more.
What about Castres, the last finalist!
The shock of the change of manager operated this week with the arrival at the bedside of the Tarn club of Jeremy Davidson in place of Pierre-Henri Broncan did not bear fruit.
The CO did not really exist in Bayonne (5th), still as sovereign at home with a bonus as a bonus, important in the fight for qualification (41-10).
It was necessary to keep up with the frenetic pace of the other Top 6 candidates playing at home who all improved their success.
Special mention first in Lyon (3rd), opposed to a direct rival, Racing 92, which relied on a very efficient three-quarter line (4 tries scored including a double from Georgian winger Davit Niniashvili) to win easily (45-11).
The Ile-de-France are the big losers of the day and could lose their current 7th place if Toulon succeeds Sunday evening in Clermont at the end of the day.
La Rochelle (4th), boosted by its success at Castres last weekend, did not fall into the Brive trap of its former manager Patrice Collazo.
It took until the 78th minute for Levani Botia to finally secure the 5th point for the Maritimes (32-16) against the bottom of the class.
Toulouse hooker Peato Mauvaka (c) between two players from Pau, February 25, 2023 in Toulouse © Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP
Finally, Chaban again sang the found attacking game of Bordeaux-Bègles (6th), silent for three matches.
It was Perpignan, revamped, which paid the price for the Girondin awakening with six tries conceded including a hat-trick from Argentinian winger Santiago Cordero (43-7).
In the evening, the leader Toulouse also assumed his status, bonus as a bonus, leaving no chance to Pau (34-10), which remains stuck at the bottom of the rankings in a four-way fight with the CO, the USAP and the CAB so as not to descend.
© 2023 AFP