There are less than nine minutes left to play. The clock at the Marcel-Deflandre stadium shows 71’33” and a score of 20-17 in favor of La Rochelle against Toulon. The Maritimes have just screwed up a ball which very quickly returns to their camp. English winger Jack Nowell then makes a mistake.
The Varois, via Baptiste Serin, quickly chose to take the sidelines about ten meters from the opposing goal. With the entry of a sturdy bench, they feel strong. The throw from young hooker Pierre Damond is well caught by Charles Ollivon. The Toulon forwards are organizing themselves and making their power speak for themselves. “Make it work,” shouts Toulon manager Pierre Mignoni at the edge of the pitch. His men are only a few centimeters from the line without realizing this big highlight.
The referee, Mr. Rousselet, who had signaled an advantage a few seconds earlier, made the mistake again. We are now playing the 74th minute. And in the stands, everyone thinks that Toulon will this time take the points to ensure a valuable draw against a direct competitor in the final stages.
Mignoni can no longer hold still. He shouts “three points”, makes the gesture with his fingers near the bench, then yells at Baptiste Serin to opt for the penalty. The international scrum-half obviously hears it but won’t listen to it.
“If we score, we say ‘well done’. It’s like that. These are choices that are on the ground”
And captain Matthias Halagahu
Here again, his group, with confidence, prefers to take the sidelines to play for the win. This is what the Italian Paolo Garbisi, regular scorer for his team this weekend in the absence of Melvyn Jaminet, is doing. The choice is obviously risky. It turned out to be a huge failure since the ball was then definitively lost on a scratch from Judicaël Cancoriet.
Four minutes later, the RCT even conceded a third try, signed Oscar Jégou, just after a final yellow card (Jules Coulon). End of the match immediately (27-17). “If we score, we say ‘well done’,” explains captain Matthias Halagahu, who was released earlier in the match. It’s like that. These are choices that are on the ground. »
In the end, they cost this revamped Var team dearly (thirteen changes in the starting fifteen) but very close to a big blow in the perspective of the race for qualification. “The players took their responsibilities,” notes Maxime Petitjean, RCT assistant coach. If we can score there, we will certainly win the match. It’s true that they were asked to take the points but they made their choices. It’s like that. We could have left with a draw. It’s always frustrating when in the end, things don’t go the way you want, but you have to respect the players’ choices. We were certainly wrong. This will help us next time. »
No draw or defensive bonus point
This Monday, the people of Toulon can harbor enormous regrets after this decision with serious consequences. They returned with empty pockets without even the defensive bonus. Above all, they let the Rochelais reach fifth place before the final sprint. “When it comes to behavior, we can’t blame our players for anything,” Petitjean continues. We must not forget it. But we leave with zero points. Considering how the match went, it clearly sucks. »
The RCT, sixth with only two lengths ahead of Perpignan, hopes not to bite its fingers in a few weeks when it comes to doing the accounts. There are two receptions left, against Lyon and Clermont, for as many trips, to Oyonnax then finally Paris, to ensure that no one remembers this end of the La Rochelle match.
