A rejuvenated Toulouse team loses the gong against La Rochelle and leaves the lead of the Top 14 to UBB

You had to have strong nerves to succeed in this penalty when the regulation time had passed (80th + 2): Antoine Hastoy showed up, did not tremble and liberated an entire stadium this Saturday evening, thus offering La Rochelle a success at the last minute against Toulouse (22-19). Less than a week after its failure in Perpignan (21-13, December 29), La Rochelle returned to victory on home soil against Toulouse. The French champion almost spoiled the party of the Rochelais who celebrated their hundredth sold-out match in a row in the Top 14. La Rochelle inflicted on Toulouse its fourth defeat of the season in the Championship, the first since that at Bayonne (12- 8, November 3).

For this 14th day but first of the return phase, Stade Toulousain coach Ugo Mola had decided to rotate his squad since this Sunday the European champion is flying to Durban in South Africa, he will face next Saturday ( 4:15 p.m.) the Sharks in the Champions Cup.

So much so that for his return to competition, six months after his injury (ruptured ligaments of an ankle and fracture of a fibula) Cyril Baille (left in the 48th and returned in the 78th) appeared as a great veteran of the top of his 31 years old, in a group with an average age of 21. Far from being disassembled, the Toulouse youth played with desire against the Rochelais who were entangled and unable for almost a half-time to string together actions without waste, with a lot of dropped balls and hand faults. However, they managed to score first.

Breathless last ten minutes

After an attempt to play at the foot of Ihaia West diagonally on the right towards Jack Nowell aborted by the Toulouse defense and a scrum in its favor, La Rochelle finally ended up scoring on a clearance from Simon Daroque blocked by Oscar Jegou and followed by hooker Tolu Latu, unconverted try by West (5-0, 14th). Shortly after, Toulouse unlocked its counter on a penalty from Valentin Delpy following a foul by Latu (5-3, 20th). Seven minutes later, the Toulouse flyhalf gave his team the only advantage with a new penalty (5-6, 27th). And a third to punish undisciplined La Rochelle play (5-9, 35th). It was time to react for O’Gara’s men who finally brought to an end a long sequence ended with a try from Jegou, transformed (12-9, 38th).

Upon returning from the locker room, Grégory Alldritt’s teammates presented themselves with significantly more commitment. A little too much sometimes, like Latu being penalized with a yellow card for going a little too head first into a ruck (51st) while trying to clear the Toulouse scrum half, Daroque hit in the action and forced to come out left seam loose (replaced by Angel Capuozzo). After being refused a try by Paul Boudehent (49th), the Rochelais scored a third try by Kerr-Barlow, following a penalty that the scrum half played quickly (19-9, 62nd), while the two teams were again 15 against 15.

Even if Latu did not return after his yellow card, Matthias Haddad and Jack Nowell entered the game, Jegou also coming out (64th). After thinking they finally had control of the match and the defensive bonus, the Maritimes were surprised by a try from Tolofua on a carried ball, a try transformed by the inevitable Delpy (19-16, 70th). The latter believed to crucify the Rochelais with a drop in front of the posts (19-19, 77th) by scoring his 14th point of the evening. But that was before Paul Costes made a mistake and Hastoy did not tremble to score the winning penalty (22-19, 80th + 2).

With this defeat, UBB, winner earlier this Saturday at Stade Français (19-46), regains first place from Toulouse while La Rochelle climbs to fifth place.