Twelfth in the standings before this match, the Rochelais played at their current level against Aviron Bayonnais. The rain leveling the values, this match without a try delivered a winner at the last minute but rugby did not emerge from it any better. The Bayonnais, who had done better than resist, ended up cracking in the final scrum and the replacement opener from La Rochelle, Hugo Reus, scored the winning goal in the 80th minute, 43 m to the right, on his good foot.
From the kick-off, La Rochelle third-row center Yoan Tanga made a forward move and the tone was set. Countered in touch, sometimes penalized in the scrum, the double European champions were a shadow of themselves during almost the entire meeting but thanks to Basque indiscipline, punished by three goals from Antoine Hastoy, led 9-0 in the first moments before Camille Lopez also came into action (a drop and two penalties).
At the break, the two teams were tied (9-9). Then 12-12 in the 49th. In cold, pouring and continuous rain, La Rochelle international right winger Teddy Thomas had two trying opportunities in the 3rd and 27th, and his teammates two long highlights (19th-26th, then 35th-40th), unfortunately for them ineffective. It must be said that the Basque third line, excellent, kept an eye on things. Always so approximate in direct conquest, expensive in attack, the Rochelais missed good opportunities, like in the 54th minute.
0
The number of tries registered during this meeting.
As for the Bayonnais, who did not ask for so much, they clung to the railing with all their might, pierced through their Italian center Frederico Mori and collected a penalty, transformed by the inevitable Camille Lopez (64th) to take the lead for the first time. Antoine Hastoy tied the two teams (70th) and as clumsy as ever, the Rochelais wasted two new highlights (65th, 67th). It took the presence of Uini Atonio in a closed scrum and the precision of Hugo Reus for them to narrowly escape.