Multiplex of the Top 14: Perpignan breathes, Zack Henry misses... The tops and the flops

TOPS

It’s the good operation of the weekend. By winning this Saturday against Oyonnax in an important match for maintenance, Usap signed a third success in a row, after those gleaned against Bayonne and Castres. With this victory at Aimé-Giral, Franck Azéma's players leave the red zone and climb to 11th place ahead of Oyonnax. And, at the same time, Bayonne - which fell with honors against UBB - is now looking down at the bottom of the ranking with 10th place and only three points ahead of the Catalans. But the rest promises to be complicated with trips to Lyon and the Stade Français (and the reception of Racing). Nothing is certain for Perpignan, but the machine is back in the fight for maintenance.

Fall with honors. Aviron Bayonnais and ASM Clermont delivered full matches this Saturday, respectively against Bordeaux-Bègles and Stade Français. The Basques, without complexes, held back the offensive strike force for a long time and bravely tried their luck. It took Maxime Lucu in international form (reassuring before the Six Nations Tournament without Antoine Dupont) for Rowing to go down to the wire. Clermont, for its part, brings back two points from Paris, but can blame itself. The Auvergnats showed this famous “character” regularly expected by Christophe Urios. Unfortunately for them, they gave in again in the final moments. A big problem to resolve. But the intentions shown to Jean-Bouin were ultimately reassuring after the setbacks against Pau and UBB. To confirm. Clermont is only ninth, but only four points from the top 6.

It is an action that is worked on in training, it is not possible otherwise. Kick from Camille Lopez on the wing of Rémy Baget. Reception from the winger who taps to follow for himself and ends up scoring. Already, it was on this action that the Basques had snatched victory, at the end of the year, against Racing 92. Rebelote this Saturday. A real little copy/paste perfectly executed. Unfortunately, this time, it did not allow the Bayonnais to win. But they showed the large audience at Chaban-Delmas that UBB is not the only team to shine offensively. Rowing’s future opponents warned. And rather twice than once.

FLOPS

It was a chronic illness in recent seasons. And it appeared in full light again, this Saturday, at Paris La Défense Arena: Racing 92 is capable of masterful strokes of brilliance, but also of dangerously guilty moments of absence and relaxation. Against Castres, everything started well, with a little offensive festival and tests which followed one after another. Except that Stuart Lancaster's players regularly relaxed, allowing the CO - who scored six penalties! - to never be definitively dumped. And even to finish the match with only four small points (34-30). We will have to avoid this kind of slackness on Saturday on the lawn of the English in Bath. A new setback (after those against Harlequins and Ulster) and the club's Champions Cup ambitions would quickly disappear...

These two points from the draw are a small miracle. Stade Français came close to being penalized this Saturday, on its lawn, against ASM (14-14). Long pushed around and approximate, the players of Laurent Labit and Karim Ghezal did not display the collective strength and solidity in the fight that they have displayed since the start of the season. Overwhelmed last week against Toulon, the Parisians seemed connected to alternating current, capable of scoring a superb try by Etien (on a Ward offering for his 100th match) but also of suffering against the Auvergnats who were obviously came to make a move. To make matters worse, fly-half Zack Henry was in a bad day with three penalties and 1 missed drop. Fortunately, for the “pink army”, Dakuwaka donned the costume of the savior. After two opening defeats in the Champions Cup (Sale and Leicester), Paris will find itself on Saturday (6:30 p.m.) facing a huge challenge: going to challenge Leinster on home soil. Impossible mission ?