Contract fulfilled for Stade Rochelais. Despite a not yet convincing performance, the maritime club won against Pau (25-23) and at the same time reinforced its hopes of qualifying for the final phase, before the trip to Toulouse in two weeks then the reception of Racing 92 which he is now ahead of by three points.
From the outset, the Rochelais took matters into their own hands. In numerical superiority after the yellow card received by Béarnais fullback Jack Maddocks, they first scored a penalty by Antoine Hastoy (5th) then a try two minutes later via the Englishman Jack Nowell, his first since his arrival in La Rochelle last summer. Again at 15 against 14 after a new yellow this time for Thibault Daubagna (19th, for the fifth Pau foul), The Maritimes tried to set the pace but regularly showed themselves to be too impatient. Grégory Alldritt and his partners, struggling to finish the shots, therefore took the points on a new penalty from Hastoy (11-3, 24th) before two missed kicks by the Palois (Robson then Maddocks). Nothing more was scored until the break.
The defensive bonus for Pau
Returning from the locker room, we felt even more tension on both sides with very few big flights. Thirty minutes from the end, the Section Paloise was only five points behind (11-6) following a penalty from opener Joe Simmonds. Opposite, Ronan O’Gara’s men, weaned from balls, returned to the bases like this series of scrums 25 minutes from the end.
The showdown then turned in their favor as they were rewarded with a penalty try (18-6, 58th). The Marcel-Deflandre audience, strangely calm for a good part of the meeting, was finally able to breathe before a very big scare followed by a try by Nathan Decron refused on video. On a new penalty from Simmonds on the hour mark, Pau then reduced the score (18-9) in a match that had become particularly close.
While we were mainly waiting to see this match end, La Rochelle, against all expectations, managed, for a while, to score a third try by Jules Favre to win an almost unexpected offensive bonus eight minutes from the end. However, he only lasted four minutes since the Section responded with Siate Tokolahi, while Oscar Jégou received a yellow card, before going for a defensive bonus on a penalty try at the siren. The evening will end with two yellows for the Rochelais (Leyds then Colombe).