Grégory Patat (coach of Bayonne, winner of Clermont 21-13): “We knew this scenario could happen. During a replay match, the receiving team has everything to lose. Clermont remained on a positive streak, we knew it was a team that was hitting hard, it was a boxing fight. They had opportunities, we defended our line well. The team was serious, I had a lot of fun.
We only conceded 13 points, that’s rather positive. I knew that the territory was going to be important, we were efficient in the scoring areas. We didn’t give up, and we ended up gaining the upper hand. Every match is a war. But we don’t care about the other teams… Along with Toulouse, we are the only team undefeated at home but I would like us to export our defensive intensity. But today the players decided not to lose. »
“There are pivotal moments in a match, we knew how to control them”
Maxime Machenaud, Bayonne scrum half
Maxime Machenaud (Bayonne scrum half): “It’s a real standoff, we held on, we didn’t break down, we didn’t panic. Lots of fighting, lots of activity in the contact zones. It was a locked match, we shouldn’t expose ourselves, but we had difficulty getting out of our camp.
There are pivotal moments in a match, we knew how to control them. We lacked precision, we had game launches which were not always successful. The best way to get it wrong is to look at the other results. Cheikh Tiberghien spent many years in Clermont, he was able to talk with great humility about his two decisive actions, in particular his rescue on Raka which did us good…”
“We knew it wouldn’t be a 60-point game, it was closed”
Cheikh Tiberghien, Bayonne fullback
Cheikh Tiberghien (back of Bayonne): “We won, it wasn’t easy. It is the most important. Not sure that this is the best match to watch with a Clermont team which remains on a good dynamic. We knew it wouldn’t be a 60-point game, it was closed. If they score on Raka’s action, it wouldn’t have been good.
We didn’t talk about the afternoon’s results together but we watched, so we knew it was right, we knew it was important to win. I didn’t feel any additional anxiety, we didn’t rack our brains. It’s a return match, it’s not easy, when we come back from vacation, the matches are often risky, we are professionals, we are supposed to respond. »