La Rochelle falls back into its faults. After two consecutive victories, the Maritimes fell again in Bayonne (13-12) this Saturday evening for the 19th day of Top 14. Third before the meeting, Ronan O'Gara's men - who could count on the returns of the French internationals Alldritt, Colombe or even Boudehent - offered nothing for more than an hour before a burst of pride which could have completely changed the fate of the match. Cancoriet (67th) and Alldritt (72nd) - on his 27th birthday - thought they could overthrow Rowing on home soil. In vain.
Grégory Patat's men, who had the match perfectly in hand for 65 minutes, notably thanks to Tatafu's try (9th) and the boot of the inevitable Camille Lopez (8 points), trembled in the final moments but still held on. The Basques, miraculously, can thank the La Rochelle opening half Hastoy, who had the victory penalty at the end of his foot. Thanks to this forceps victory, the Ciel et Blanc climb to 9th place in the ranking and remain undefeated in their lair of Jean Dauger for… 28 matches. Their last home defeat dates back to January 21, 2022 against Grenoble in Pro D2. An eternity. For their part, the Yellow and Black once again show their difficulties in achieving success and fall to 5th place in the Top 14.