With one more during a half, Bordeaux won with the offensive bonus 46 to 10. Despite the rain in Chaban-Delmas, the Girondins never closed the game. In difficulty against the Bordeaux fury, the Lyonnais are sinking into the bottom of the ranking and will have to react very quickly, from the next day in a shock of poorly ranked against the MHR.
In a packed Chaban Delmas a few days before the holidays, the Union Bordeaux-Bègles had some gifts to come out of the basket. Reduced to a numerical disadvantage at the end of the first period after a head-to-head tackle by Romain Taofifenua against Romain Buros, Lyon did not have the weapons to fight against the in-form Top 14 team (46-10). The Girondins signed a card, with six tries.
With this five-point success, Bordeaux-Bègles, while awaiting tomorrow’s results, rises to second place in the championship (28 points). Lyon (12th) must now look down. The Couilloud gang is only three points ahead of the Perpignan play-off (13th, 13 points).
Gazzotti signs his first attempt in the Top 14
At the start of the match marked by numerous advances, Bordeaux-Bègles took the score thanks to the boot of Jalibert (3 and 18th). Stuck in their camp, the Lyonnais showed their talent by starting from afar. On a ball lost in touch by Lamothe, the Rhone residents decided to restart from 22 meters.
At the end of the wing, Parisien took a gap and played after contact with Niniashvili. The Georgian brought the ball up 40 meters, then the winger perfectly negotiated a two-on-one against Buros with Rattez (6-7, 23rd). From long distance, against the run of play, Jackson gave the score a little more depth (6-10, 28th).
To react, the locals relied on their youth. Arrived this summer from Grenoble, Marko Gazzotti completed a magnificent movement! On a pass behind Jalibert’s back, Buros and Depoortere gave the right tempo to take advantage of a surplus. The third wing line resisted his opponents to score in the corner. (11-10, 35th).
The match changed on the illegal tackle of Romain Taofifenua. Before entering his locker room, the French international apologized to Buros (40th). Without their beam, the Lyonnais gave in on a repetition of scrums. Tatafu concluded a collective effort after a fierce double push (18-10, 40th+3).
A second period with zero points for the LOU
Upon returning from the locker room, despite some inaccuracies, the UBB went it alone. In a scrum five meters from the opposing goal, Nicolas Depoortere preferred to rely on his power rather than serve his friends. But the under-20 world champion got the better of Pacheco and Regard to score between the posts (25-10, 48th). A little less than ten minutes later, in force, Alexandre Ricard offered the offensive bonus to his team (32-10, 54th).
The end of the match was spent in three quarters. Madosh Tambwe brought home a well-aimed cross from his opener (39-10, 66th). Just before the siren, on a scrum in the center of the field ten meters from the Lyon goal, Yoram Moefana fired the final bouquet (46-10, 80th). The performance in the second period quite annoyed Thibaut Regard, who spoke to Canal +: “We must not hide behind the excuse of red. We did not raise our heads. We sank. We must work mentally. We were too weak. We took lightning. We must get back to work. Away, without our audience, we’re sinking. Tonight, that’s a lot of points conceded. It was a non-match, and a non-second period.”
On December 29, at 9 p.m., Bordeaux-Bègles will travel to Clermont. Damian Penaud will return to Michelin for the first time. The next day, at 2 p.m., Lyon will host Montpellier in a clash for survival.