Under the rain and the songs of Béarn, the Stade Français, too defensive, lost to Pau (18-9) in a match without a try. A result that brings the Parisians, twelfth in the standings, closer to the relegation zone.
What you must remember
The Béarn drizzle did not help the fluidity of the game. The Parisians, who present a team largely remodeled after their success against Clermont (22-14), in Perpignan (23-22) and against Lyon last week (23-18), from the outset confine themselves to taking advantage of Pau’s errors. The tactic seems rather profitable. Gonzalo Quesada’s players, dominated in the first act, return to the locker room with a slight delay (9-6). The Argentinian Nicolas Sanchez taking charge of registering two penalties.
In the second half, the Parisians suffer but resist and even manage to equalize on one of their rare forays into the opposing camp. Joris Segonds scored a penalty for a delayed tackle on Sanchez (9-9, 57th). The turning point of the match comes a good ten minutes from the end. Hooker Latu, guilty of a high tackle and delayed on Hastoy, receives a yellow card and Henry converts the penalty (12-9, 68th). At 14 against 15, the Stade Français can no longer fill in the gaps and collect two new penalties. “It was our lack of discipline that played tricks on us,” admits Joris Segonds. We made a lot of mistakes and in these conditions, in the rain, it is not forgiving. We knew that Pau had a knife to his throat. It was up to us to adapt. It’s a game to erase. From now on, we must prepare for the coming of Montpellier next Saturday. “
The player
Sanchez in tone then groggy
The Argentinian opener, who made his comeback after a shoulder injury, was immediately in tone for his first game of the season in the pink jersey. Precise at the foot, he was particularly active, especially in defense, and he improved most of the balls he touched. Severely dried up, delayed by the 2nd line from Pau Tagitagivalu, Nicolas Sanchez, groggy, was forced to leave his partners in the 56th minute, replaced by Joris Segonds.
The number
5
This fifth defeat of the season in 9 Top 14 games is costing the Parisians dearly. The victories of Perpignan against La Rochelle (22-13) and Toulon against Biarritz (13-9) keep them very close to the red zone. They are now twelfth in the standings, just two points behind relegation.
