This Saturday, Louis Bielle-Biarrey was forced to forfeit the match against Italy, scheduled for this Sunday afternoon. Suffering from a stiff neck and back, it was a ball received in the face which put an end to the Girondin’s hopes of setting foot on the pitch at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium. Here is this moment in pictures.
The French staff would have done without this twist. This Saturday, Louis Bielle-Biarrey with all of his teammates for the traditional captain’s run, twenty-four hours before the duel against Italy kicks off.
It may have been difficult to see at first glance, but the Girondin winger was wearing an American plaster on the back of his neck. Victim of a stiff neck, “LBB” tried everything to hold his place against the Nazionale, in vain.
It was a few minutes before the end of the Blues’ training that the afternoon at Bielle-Biarrey took a very bad turn. The latter simply received a ball in the face, which had the misfortune of reviving the pain he was trying to alleviate to keep his place in the starting fifteen.
Faced with their teammate holding his face for a few seconds, the other players did not immediately realize that this event, so innocuous at first glance, put an end to the hopes of the man who had saved the Blues at Murrayfield. two weeks.
Our photojournalist Patrick Derewiany managed to immortalize this moment, here are the photos:
At that moment, Louis Bielle-Biarrey had just received a ball in the face.
This event, most often harmless, revived the pain in the Girondin’s neck.
Lebel holder on the left wing
It is now a certainty, Matthis Lebel will wear the flocked jersey of the 11th against the Italians. The Toulouse player, who was initially released by the French staff in the middle of the week, was supposed to challenge Clermont this Sunday evening with his club. He was finally recalled after the Bielle-Biarrey package and joined the capital by plane this Saturday evening, before joining Lille by train.
This season, Lebel walks on the water with the jersey of the reigning French champions on his shoulders. He has scored seven tries in his last eight matches with Toulouse. Last week, when he was not one of the protected players, he had a full match against Oyonnax in the Top 14.
The Haut-Garonnais’ last tenure with the Blues dates back to July 9, 2022, during the summer tour in Japan. He started the two tests against the Japanese, for two tries.