Inconstant. This is the appropriate adjective to evoke the evening of Toulouse, led for more than an hour before coming back, passing in front then losing, Sunday evening, against Union Bordeaux-Bègles (31-28). While Toulouse could take first place this evening, the team remains second in the Top 14, while Bordeaux, 3rd, secures the lead in the race for qualification.
In front of its 42,000 spectators, the UBB did not wait long to ignite the game. Put under pressure after recovering a kick from Damian Penaud, Lebel lost the ball to Maxime Lucu. Yoram Moefana was then alone on the wing to flatten in a corner, despite the tackle from Thomas Ramos (5-0, 2nd). It was this contact that caused the French international’s injury. A circumstance which forced Antoine Dupont, initially on the bench, to make his return after his stint in rugby 7s.
Toulouse came close
The return of the scrum half was not immediately impactful, and this is logical, given the date of his last appearance in the Toulouse jersey – February 3 against Bayonne (46-26). Mobilized in the axis in its fight with the Bordeaux forwards, the Toulouse defense forgot the danger coming from the sides. Jalibert therefore made a jump pass for Tevita Tatafu. The third line scored the try, not converted for the second time by Lucu (10-0, 21st). Three minutes later, Toulouse gave in once again after an excellent counterattack by UBB. Failing so far at the foot, Maxime Lucu sent a candle to Damian Penaud, who won the race to go and flatten. This time, Matthieu Jalibert did not miss the transformation, unlike his teammate at the hinge (17-0, 24th).
If Jack Willis’ converted try temporarily stopped the bleeding (17-5, 33rd), the surge did not last. Just before the break, Romain Buros dealt another hard blow to Toulouse, who were behind by 17 points when they returned to the locker room (24-7). In the second half, Toulouse showed better intentions. Players, the Toulouse players played their penalty by hand at 10 meters. Taking advantage of Marchand’s fixing work, Pita Ahki flattened under the poles while Mallia transformed (24-14, 53rd). Shortly after the hour mark, Matthis Lebel took advantage of a chistera from Dupont – increasingly in rhythm as the match progressed – to score Toulouse’s third try (24-21, 61st). On fire, the winger did it again three minutes later after a poor reception from Lucu. Enough to give Stade Toulousain the advantage (28-24, 64th).
While the momentum was in its favor, Toulouse suffered the return of Bordeaux-Bègles. Forgotten on the right wing, Pierre Bochaton punished Toulouse’s passivity and gave his team the advantage (31-28, 70th). Despite the offensives of Stade Toulousain and the assaults led by Dupont, Bordeaux held on. At the end of the match that looked like a thriller, UBB resisted, and Stade Chaban-Delmas enjoyed it.
