Tops
For Catalan supporters, the transition to 2024 will be marked by joy and good humor. Stuck in thirteenth place in the TOP 14, Perpignan obtained its fourth success of the season. Better, after five consecutive defeats away from home in the league, the Catalans finally won a victory away from home. Thanks to these four very precious points, obtained after a high-level fight, Acebes’ teammates remain penultimate, but only three points behind LOU and Oyonnax, respectively eleventh and twelfth with twenty points. Franck Azéma’s men will be able to wake up with peace of mind, with the feeling of duty accomplished.
Quickly trailing by ten points at the start of the game, the visitors were able to react to come back to level with their opponent before half-time. But it was at the end of the match that the Catalans showed all their character. While they had just obtained a well-placed penalty, which they could have converted and thus obtained a far from humiliating draw in Castres, the Perpignans chose to go into touch. A daring choice that does not always pay off, as the era of encouraging defeats for the XV of France a few years ago reminds us. But this time, the end of the match favored the bold. And Veredamu, valuable throughout the match, scored the winning try. A stunning scenario which Allan put an end to with a final transformation.
Flops
By losing for the last of 2023, Castres Olympique first lost the opportunity to get back on the Top 14 podium, still remaining in the lead for the final phases with a defensive bonus point. But above all, the locals put an end to their streak of invincibility at home. For the first time this season, the supporters present at Pierre Fabre witnessed, incredulously, a defeat for Castres on home soil. After bringing down Toulouse, Oyonnax, Bayonne and Pau, it was finally the promoted Catalan who achieved the feat. An end to the year which is enough to leave regrets in the heads of Castres.
This meeting will perhaps not leave too bad memories for viewers, given the end of the match rich in suspense. Or quite simply because at 2:00 p.m., some may have fallen into the arms of Morpheus in response to the spectacle offered by the two groups. The players in the match shone more through the numerous scrums to be redone than through the class actions, while three-quarters of each side committed numerous technical blunders. After an exceptional 2023 vintage of rugby, a year like this deserved a better final. It will be necessary to iron.
In the 48th minute, Perpignan left pillar Xavier Chiocci received a yellow card after collapsing yet another scrum. And in the 59th minute, it was the Perpignan captain, De La Fuente, who replaced him for ten minutes on the bench following an anti-play act. But despite these twenty minutes spent in numerical superiority in the second act, the Castres were only able to score three small points, through the boot of Popelin (66th). Faced with the Catalans who waged war on them in each ruck, they were unable to take advantage of their numerical superiority, before breaking down after the siren. Damage.
