La Rochelle keep pressure on leaders Toulouse with victory over Bayonne

Ronan O'Gara's side had too much for the visitors.

Sat, 15 Apr, 2023 - 22:11

James Harrington

A much-changed La Rochelle provisionally closed the gap on Top 14 leaders Toulouse with a workmanlike 26-6 win over a lacklustre Bayonne in front of another full-house at Stade Marcel Deflandre.

Will Skelton, Gregory Alldritt, Ultan Dillane, Levani Botia, and Tawera Kerr-Barlow were notable absentees from Ronan O’Gara’s side on their return to domestic action after booking hard-fought passage to the Champions Cup semi-finals, while Antoine Hastoy and Uini Atonio were on the bench.

Teenage fly-half Hugo Reus kicked 16 points on a perfect night off the tee on his first senior start - and his third first-team outing - with starting halfback partner Thomas Berjon and lock Remi Picquette each adding a try.

There were, otherwise, few fireworks to write about - the Rochelais simply, calmly and effectively took advantage of Bayonne indiscipline to build a win. It was unfussy, artisanal rugby - and, a missed bonus-point try apart, almost exactly what O’Gara would have ordered.

The 16,000 capacity crowd mostly didn’t give a dam, as they cheered La Rochelle to a seventh consecutive win in all competitions. Toulon, with 10 wins in 11, are the only French side running hotter right now.

On a day in which early coverage of all six matches was disrupted by timed technicians’ strikes in protest over controversial pension reforms in France, the twin races for the play-offs and to escape the relegation zone took decisive turns at both ends of the table.

Stuart Lancaster’s future side Racing 92 climbed provisionally into fifth with a 31-28 come-from-behind ‘home’ win over Bordeaux at Stade Bollaert-Delelis, in the northern French city of Lens. Racing needed a penalty try with the clock deep in the red to claim both the win and the try-scoring bonus.

Castres tightened their grip on Top 14 survival with a determined 19-28 win at Montpellier’s GGL Stadium. It was their first victory on the road this season, and their third win in a row under new boss Jeremy Davidson.

The result probably also holed the champions’ ambitions of taking the defence of their title into the Top 14 post-season below the waterline.

Twelfth-placed Pau, meanwhile, boosted their own survival hopes with a 23-18 home win over Clermont - at the expense of the visitors’ faint play-off hopes - to open a six-point gap between themselves and 13th-placed Perpignan, who lost 37-15 at form side Toulon to remain rooted in the relegation play-off place. The home side climbed to a provisional fourth, which comes with home advantage in the play-offs.

Bottom side Brive slipped further into the relegation singularity after giving up an early 14-0 lead at home against third-place Stade Francais, to lose 22-27.

It looks increasingly likely that Wales international Ross Moriarty, who came on for his Brive debut early in the second half, after arriving at the club on Monday, will run out in the ProD2 next season.

On Sunday night, first will entertain sixth as Toulouse face Lyon at Stade Ernest Wallon.