UBB

The arbitration of the match between Bordeaux and Toulouse is set to generate much discussion, even though the Stade players were very undisciplined. However, Ugo Mola points out a change in the way Matthew Carley officiates.

Undisciplined play proved to be very costly. The “red and black” players committed numerous fouls (11 in total) against Bordeaux, which partly explains their elimination against UBB (30-15). Despite being well-known among the Toulouse team (having officiated them seven times before Sunday, April 12), the referee Matthew Carley surprised them.

Ugo Mola revealed this during a press conference after the match. He explained, “There were six penalties against us in the first half when we had possession. It’s more of a referee that tends to penalize the defense, and today we were penalized a bit too much, especially in the first half, I think to score more points and put more pressure on Bordeaux.”

The question arises whether the referee penalized the attacking team more during Sunday’s match at Chaban-Delmas. One thing is certain, these penalties allowed UBB players to gain the upper hand on the scoreboard and maintain it. As Mola emphasizes, “After they scored and took the lead, it was too difficult for us to catch up,” admits the manager of Stade Toulousain.

In contrast, Bordeaux was penalized much less by the referee, with Yannick Bru’s players committing only five fouls.