In a game where Toulon slammed Bayonne at Anoeta (44 to 10), many Varois showed themselves to their advantage. Among them, Baptiste Serin celebrated his return as a starter. Like Matis Perchaud, the Basques missed their game.
The tops
What good he does for this team and his return comes at the best time for the RCT. Coming into play last week, he is the starter this time and his contribution is impressive. Obviously it’s easier behind a dominant forward pack, but he’s excellent at controlling the game. He knows how to give his team some air with his kicking game. 44 meters covered, 2 defenders beaten and a crossing, a very dark sheet of “stats” in short. The icing on the cake, he against Camille Lopez and offers himself a solo try.
Good on his fundamentals, he pushes his opponent to make mistakes in the scrum and is also very comfortable in the game. In the first half he pierces the Bayonne defense for several meters. Solid in defense, he finished the match with six tackles for zero misses. He also takes care of his score sheet with 22 meters covered with the ball in hand.
This is the Villière we love to see! Helmet screwed tightly onto his head, he doesn’t hesitate to put his head where some people don’t put their hands. He is rewarded twice for good scratches and allows his team to take off in the score. He also doesn’t miss any of his five tackles. On the other side of the field he certainly doesn’t hit the leather very much, but manages to cross on one of his ammunition. The RCT will need this version of him for the end of the season.
What a Samoan match! First his try which launched Toulon perfectly. He takes advantage of Perchaud’s bad pass to intercept and slip behind the line 50 meters further. For the rest he stayed on his course. Not always successful since his arrival in the Var, this time he did excellent, particularly in attack. 54 meters covered, 3 defenders beaten and a crossing, enough to make the Basque defenders dizzy. He also makes 7 tackles and misses 0.
Read also :
Top 14 – At Anoeta, Toulon extinguishes Bayonne and improves its victory
The flops
He is intercepted in the center of the field and sends Duncan Paia’aua behind the line. Behind him he is unable to raise his level and suffers from the comparison with Beka Gigashvili, who dominates him in particular in closed scrums. In a dominated pack he was not able to be as impactful as usual.
Not helped by his dominated pack, he does not show his advantage. He was penalized in the first half and could do better in certain situations. During his team’s few highlights, he drove the truck poorly and was unable to relieve his team with his kicking game. Replaced in the 57th minute by Maxime Machenaud, he finished his match with only two tackles.
His match is far from catastrophic, but we can expect more from this player as he is capable of good performances. In attack, he never knew how to find the fault in the good Var defense and only advanced 15 meters with the ball under his elbow, he also missed a tackle. He will have to do better at the end of the championship which promises to be tense in the Basque Country.