The time of benevolence for the UBB
Now was not the time to be choosy. The Bordelais managed a real demonstration. It lasted "only" forty minutes, that's right. But given the absences, this first half was a little gem. His verdict was implacable, 20 to 0 at the break for a duel between the first and the third, the observation is obvious. And then the beauty of the tries proclaimed the superiority of Bordeaux: a one-minute sequence on the first while dynamism, an imperial progression of the forwards on the second. Two rubies set on the main jewel.
The Bordeaux staff and players had hammered home that the Castres were the kings of regroupings, the specialists in legal confusion, in judicious slowing down. For forty minutes, we saw the opposite, the Bordelais knew how to defeat the Castres on their strong point with rapid, vigorous and rhythmic sequences. They came from clean outings, the Holy Grail of modern rugby.
Moreover, Christophe Urios' speech reflected this feeling of duty accomplished, when the Bordeaux manager regularly puts victories into perspective. On Saturday, we felt he was full of indulgence: “Yes, I liked a lot of things. The first half of course, by our way of approaching it calmly, the fact of being precise, clean. Even the second half I liked, by the way we held on, even if we were less efficient in setting up our game due, among other things, to poor occupation of the field. But we stayed connected. »
Real squad depth
The Bordelais also had the handicap of playing at fourteen for ten minutes (yellow card to Louis Picamoles for a voluntary forward). If Urios' words were marked by so much benevolence, it was because the Bordeaux boss was well aware that the magnificent first forty minutes confirmed a real depth in the Bordeaux workforce. Without Jalibert, Lucu, Woki, Moefana, Buros, Ducuing, Lam: such quality was not a foregone conclusion.
This was the interpretation of his homage to François Trinh-Duc, a central figure in the Bordeaux winter. The pressure on his shoulders as Jalibert's understudy is not light: "I found him very good. He gave us confidence by the quality of his kicking game, his way of not panicking. He is ready to take on this very important period for him. He prepared for this. He looked very focused. He's a great player and a great guy. »
Curiously, his alter ego Yann Lesgourgues was more demanding than his trainer. The Landes scrum-half even said he was "frustrated". “We could have done better. He was nevertheless a good animator but perhaps lacked the rhythm to shoot arrows. He plays an important card too, and his coach saw in his disappointment tinged with demand, another encouraging sign.
- Prev
- Next
