Pau lost to La Rochelle on Saturday evening 20-6, following Montpellier’s victory in the afternoon against Clermont. This loss caused Pau to lose their second-place position after holding it for four months.
Despite the presence of most of their internationals, except for Fabien Brau-Boirie due to a fractured phalange, Pau’s lack of discipline and poor offensive play – no tries scored, a first this season – led to their defeat.
Now in 3rd place behind Toulouse and Montpellier, Pau is also closely followed by Stade Francais as they await the final clash of the 19th round between Bordeaux-Begles and Toulouse on Sunday evening.
La Rochelle, fueled by their victory against Castres (31-26) before the international break and Antoine Hastoy’s return to form, confirmed their resurgence, especially defensively.
After giving up 44 points to Lyon in late January and 43 points to Montpellier two weeks later, La Rochelle held Pau to only six points, moving up to 8th place and securing a bonus-point victory for the playoffs qualification zone.
Despite some initial flaws in their game, La Rochelle capitalized on the two yellow cards shown to Julián Montoya (34th) and Nathan Decron (36th), scoring a try through Quentin Lespiaucq and taking the lead at halftime (10-3).
Pau, with a tactical plan focused on field position, failed to take advantage of their opportunities despite temporary numerical superiority after Le Garrec’s yellow card, ultimately losing 20-6.
