2024-01-14 04:48:56
One given for one given. The adage perfectly sums up this Champions Cup Saturday for French clubs. Lyon, Toulon, Stade Français and Toulouse faced four Irish teams. The result: two victories and two defeats.
Stade Toulouse ended the day perfectly by winning against Ulster (48-24). On the pitch in Belfast, capital of Northern Ireland, the French were merciless. Ugo Mola and his men were never worried. They opened the scoring in the 10th minute thanks to a try from Matthis Lebel. The captain, Antoine Dupont, for his part, scored a double (35th, 47th).
Toulouse stars put on a show
The Toulouse team, authors of three improved victories in three matches, are qualified. The reigning French champion also put on a show, like Thomas Ramos’ foot pass to Matthis Lebel on the first try of the match.
The Stade Français brave but corrected
Earlier in the day, things were completely different for Stade Français. The Parisian club never had any illusions against the Irish ogre Leinster (43-7). Three tries conceded in the first period, four in the second, the Ile-de-France residents, with an additional team, never really existed. They nevertheless showed courage, but this virtue was quite insufficient in the face of the opposing quality. Last in Group D, the Parisian club lost all of its Champions Cup matches, the exact opposite of Leinster.
Laurent Labit’s team nevertheless saved their honor at the end of the match. In the 80th + 2, Joris Segonds scored a try for the honor. With one day remaining, the Parisians are last in their group and very close to elimination.
Lyon reassured
The LOU had started the day better. Despite its clumsiness, the Rhone team won at home against the bottom of Pool A, the Irish province of Connacht (34-20). Thanks to this success, the Lyonnais ensured their qualification for the round of 16. Despite conceding three tries, the French only trailed for six minutes at the start of the game and always dominated. To this victory – with the offensive bonus – is added another good news: the return of fly-half Léo Berdeu. Victim of a cruciate ligament rupture in May 2023, the Frenchman entered the field in the 57th minute.
Involved in Lyon’s last test, Léo Berdeu was happy to finally play again, after eight months of absence. But he was also lucid about the Lyon approximations, as he confided to Rugby Rama : “Like the team, I had a bit of waste. On the three kicks that I try with the left, I have no solution and I get rid of the ball. » Thirteenth in the Top 14, LOU can be satisfied with this success, but still has problems to resolve.
Toulon not at the level
Toulon also has its share of problems. Three games for three defeats is the RCT’s record so far in the Champions Cup. Pierre Mignoni’s players are last in Group C and are approaching elimination. On Saturday, the Varois hosted the Irish from Munster (18-29) at the Félix-Mayol stadium.
Toulon had started the game well thanks to a try from Duncan Paia’aua in the 23rd minute. Melvyn Jaminet, already the author of a penalty a few minutes earlier, converted this one. The French then led 10 to 0 but, too messy, they were joined by their opponents, before sinking.
Melvyn Jaminet did not hide his frustration at the end of the game: “We wanted to show another image of us, we had too many inaccuracies, we paid cash. And we can’t get away with it against teams like Munster. »
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