Relief for O'Gara as late, late penalty edges La Rochelle past understrength Toulouse outfit
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Antoine Hastoy kicked an after-the-hooter penalty as Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle escaped to a hard-fought 22-19 victory over a youthful Toulouse side that was so experimental it was little more than a hypothesis.
The sighs of relief around the ground were almost as loud as the applause as Hastoy’s kick flew between the posts with the clock in the red, minutes after an ice-cool drop goal from the visitors’ young fly-half Valentin Delpy stunned the 100th consecutive sell-out crowd at Stade Marcel Deflandre.
Ugo Mola’s Champions Cup-led decision to pick a starting XV with an average age of 22, captained by 31-year-old Cyril Baille on his return to action after six months out with an injury serious leg injury picked up in last season’s Top 14 semi-final against La Rochelle in Bordeaux, had infuriated La Rochelle fans.
A more recognisable Toulouse squad was due to fly to South Africa on Sunday for next weekend’s match against Sharks in Durban – prompting one fan to post: “We pay a fortune for our seats to applaud a third team, instead of seeing the best players in Europe compete.”
It’s not hard to imagine Mola and the Toulouse staff turning those quotes into red rags.
The truth is that Mola’s Babes held their own and then some against their close-to full-bore hosts. Often by the seat of their pants, admittedly as their defence scrambled, but this was far from wing-and-prayer rugby. In fact, they led after half an hour, courtesy of two penalties for fly-half Valentin Delpy, which offset Tolu Latu’s 14th minute chargedown try.
More importantly, perhaps, they silenced the 16,689 capacity crowd. Another Delpy penalty, as Rochelais’ errors mounted, added to their frustration.
Shortly before the mid-term whistle, however, the hosts strung together enough passes for Oscar Jegou to charge over and send the hosts into the break with a 12-9 lead. There can be little doubt as to who was the more impressed of the coaches at halftime.
Home fans’ collective blood pressure rose further 10 minutes into the second half when, after a long period of pressure, Paul Boudehent barged his way over – only for the referee to rule he had illegally held on to the ball in a tackle, and awarded a penalty to the visitors.
A quick-thinking tap penalty from Tawera Kerr-Barlow shortly after the hour briefly bagged the try bonus – but they lost it again with 10 minutes to play as teenage backrow Sialevailea Tolofua, one of four players on the Toulouse side making his senior debut, came up with the ball from the back of a lineout maul.
Nelson Epee, in his first Toulouse start since February, got to within a couple of metres of what would have been an utterly remarkable and thoroughly deserved away win before Delpy nervelessly dropped his 14th point of the night. But Hastoy’s equally calm kick bagged the points for the home side.
Bordeaux warmed up for next weekend’s Champions Cup trip to Exeter with a runaway bonus-point 19-46 win at Stade Francais, scoring 33 points in the last 27 minutes.
Seta Tuicuvu scored a first-half double and England exile Lewis Ludlam scored his first Top 14 try as Toulon picked up a bonus-point 36-24 win over Racing 92 without getting out of third gear.
Stuart Lancaster’s side have not won a Top 14 match since the beginning of November, and never looked like they would seriously trouble the home side – who fairly gifted them three tries.
But the win came at a price for the hosts and, potentially, France, as Charles Ollivon had to be helped off the pitch with a knee injury in just the sixth minute.
Reports in France suggest Jeremy Davidson is stepping back from his role as manager at Castres Olympique to work temporarily alongside club president Pierre-Yves Revol. Broadcaster claimed that Xavier Sadourny, who was due to take charge of first team affairs next season, will step into the role from Monday.
The news came after Castres had struggled to a 24-19 victory to record their first win in three Top 14 matches, to stay – just about – in touch with the leading group. In truth, they should have won much more convincingly.
A first Top 14 win for Lyon under new head coach Karim Ghezal, after draws against Toulouse and Racing 92, as they beat Perpignan 17-12 at Stade Gerland.
Montpellier picked up their fourth win in five Top 14 matches with a convincing bonus-point six-try 42-10 hammering of Bayonne. After a slow start, head coach Joan Cardullo looks to be building something at the GGL.
On Sunday, bottom-of-the-table Vannes host Clermont at Stade de la Rabine. The visitors have not won since beating Treviso on the opening weekend of the Champions Cup fortnight in December, losing their unbeaten home record to Montpellier last weekend.