After leading the race and holding the match for 77 minutes, the people of Pau were defeated at the end of the game, punished for their own indiscipline. However, they still managed to bring back a defensive bonus point, which will be crucial in the fight for the top 2 spots.
“For 77 minutes, we held the match,” smiled Sébastien Piqueronies, manager of Section Paloise. “We lacked energy in the final three minutes, but I am proud of my players.” Indeed, his troops did more than just resist on the field of Jean-Bouin. Taking the lead as early as the 7th minute thanks to a try from Julian Montoya, they did not let go until injury time.
A match that slipped away
A controlled performance, twice taking an eight-point lead: 18-10 at halftime, 32-24 at the end of the match, but leaving Stade Français alive. “We could have killed the game but we couldn’t, mainly due to our mistakes. Stade Français is a tough team and when they had possession it was difficult. But by being at their home ground, we didn’t expose ourselves too much.”
This sentiment was shared by Ian Vass, Stade Français’ skills coach for the day: “In the end, it felt like a knockout match, and we ended on the right side. Pau played tactically, while we struggled to find rhythm. We never caught up on the score, it was complicated, we struggled to create anything.”
Guilty indiscipline
Unable to produce precise play from their own half, the Parisians relied on Pau’s indiscipline. Reduced to 14, then 13 in the first half, the Béarnais received four yellow cards during the match and conceded two penalty tries. Every mistake gave the Parisians the opportunity to attack. Too much for coach Sébastien Piqueronies: “The indiscipline cost us the victory. It’s reassuring to know that we are invited to this level, but we knew that this morning. Now we want to win at this level.”
This high-intensity match resembled a final phase encounter, under the sun and in front of full stands. Winger Aaron Grandidier shares his coach’s assessment, between bitterness and pride: “We are not worried, we will learn a lot from this. It felt like finals, we are very frustrated but there are many positive things to take away.”
The most positive thing is the defensive bonus point earned on the field of Jean-Bouin. This point keeps them in second place in the standings, two points ahead of their afternoon opponents. To conclude, the Béarnais will host Castres, Clermont, and Montauban, and will travel to Montpellier, still dreaming of a home playoff spot.
