Section Paloise opened their European Champions Cup campaign in commanding fashion on Sunday, securing a bonus-point 41-17 victory over English side Leicester Tigers at the Stade du Hameau, as reported by sport.fr. Despite conceding an early try and facing initial pressure from the Premiership visitors, the Béarnais side pulled away in the second half behind standout performances from fullback Théo Attissogbe and center Rodrigo Marta, avenging a narrow 19-14 defeat suffered against the same English club thirty years prior.
Early Pressure and Tactical Shifts in the Béarn
Playing with a rotated lineup, Pau struggled to find their rhythm early against a disciplined Leicester outfit that dominated territorial play. The English visitors capitalized on an early attacking surge, with captain Ollie Chessum crossing over for the opening try in the 9th minute. Pau’s newly formed center partnership of Fabien Brau-Boirie and Rodrigo Marta required time to settle, but fullback Théo Attissogbe stepped in to inject pace and creativity into the backline, shifting the momentum of the match.
The hosts hit back in the 26th minute when fly-half Axel Desperes delivered a precise cross-kick to Brau-Boirie on the wing. Brau-Boirie offloaded inside to Marta, who powered through a tackle from Will Wand to level the score at 10-10. Pau maintained the pressure, and front-rowers Youri Delhommel and Jon Zabala-Arrieta combined to set up the Spanish international Marta for a try in the 31st minute, giving the home side a lead they would not relinquish.
Second-Half Dominance and Bonus-Point Seal
Pau seized control immediately after the restart. Just five minutes into the second half, the center pairing struck again, with Marta finishing off another slick move to claim his second try of the afternoon in the 45th minute. Leicester briefly responded when Archie van der Flier—cousin of Leinster flanker Josh van der Flier—bullied his way over from a prolonged pick-and-go inside the five-meter line in the 55th minute, narrowing the gap to 24-17.
That would be the final scoring threat from the Midlands club. Pau’s forward pack took firm control in the final quarter, wearing down their English counterparts. In the 72nd minute, Aaron Grandidier Nkanang capped off a sweeping backline move with a try. Moments later, Brau-Boirie capped his impressive international-standard performance by intercepting a pass to race away for the final try, sealing the 41-17 bonus-point triumph that sent the Stade du Hameau crowd into celebration.
