For its first match in the history of the Champions Cup, Bayonne achieved a feat by winning a draw at Munster this Saturday evening (17-17). At the foot Machenaud had scored the first points before McCarthy scored the first try (10th). Coombes, for the Irish, scored a second try (21st) to close the first act but in the second half, the Bayonnais were rewarded with two tries from Tagi (47th) then Baget (76th). An excellent operation.
Probably motivated by the idea of playing their first European meeting, the Basques started the meeting with a bang. Thanks to a winning scrum, Maxime Machenaud scored the first three points of the match against the posts (5th). But these were the only three points scored in this first period by the European rookies. The locals were quick to react since five minutes later, Irish winger McCarthy scored the first try of the match thanks to an effective hook and a volleyed pass from Crowley, who converted in stride (10th). Munster then lost O’Brien to injury (replaced by O’Connor, 20th), which did not prevent them from scoring a second try a few minutes later (21st). After a touch at the height of five Basque meters was well captured, the Munster forwards pounded before flattening through Coombes. Crowley transformed once again. The Blue and White then sounded the revolt and thought to reduce the gap with a try from Timberghien, but a forward had been committed earlier in the action (24th).
Very quickly in the second half, the Bayonnais stood out. Barely coming into play, Luke Tagi concluded a beautiful collective movement initiated by Erbinartegaray, magnified by good distribution from Machenaud. The pillar finally flattened in power, before Machenaud transformed (48th). In the 55th minute, Crowley gave his team a little breathing room by scoring three new points (3/3 at the foot this evening). But at the end of the match, the visitors finally turned everything around. Baget, in all the good shots, took advantage of a good ball carried initiated by his forwards before rushing into the closed. Dolhagaray’s transformation into a corner allowed them to secure a draw (17-17). After the siren, Crowley attempted a drop which went just wide, to the delight of Rowing.