Tops
If Oyonnax won for the second time this season, it is largely thanks to him. Established as fly-half on Saturday afternoon, the former Glasgow player delivered a more than convincing performance, in line with his good performance against Toulon last weekend. Officiating as scorer for the Rouge et Noir, Miotti managed a 5/5 against the poles, scoring 14 of his team’s 19 points. He even had the audacity to attempt a drop from 40 meters before the break, narrowly missing. He also had the merit of making his teammates play well from the three-quarter line, and managed two 50-22s to clear his team. He will have to repeat this performance to hope to win in Castres on the sixth day.
Since the start of the season, promoted Oyonnax has obtained seven points on home soil. The Charles-Mathon stadium, not far from having become a fortress, was probably no stranger to the success of its team on Saturday afternoon. Pushing his team into the defensive sequences at the end of the match, the “Here, here, it’s Oyonnax!” often resonated on the pitch and in the stands. After a victory on the first day against Clermont and a defensive bonus obtained against Toulouse, it was the third home match for Oyonnax. To hope to have a good season, the Oyomen will now have to succeed in exporting well.
Flops
Starting at the start of the match, Sacha Idoumi had a complicated match. Well, not really a match: 26 minutes exactly. The La Rochelle touch would probably have a “flop” category in its own right, but it is clear that the Maritimes were not helped by their young hooker (21 years old). Author of several clumsy throws sanctioned by the referee, Mr. Raynal, Sacha Idoumi was also punished by his coach. While his team was trailing 13 to 3, the Yellows and Blacks hooker was taken out by the Irish coach in the 26th minute, in favor of Quentin Lespiaucq. Bad afternoon for him, but the young player is still in the learning phase.
Already defeated in Clermont two weeks ago and at home last weekend against Castres (24-27), the Maritimes wanted to revive against the promoted Oyonnax. But the men of Ronan O’Gara, double European champion, missed the mark. And the results of these last weeks, without his internationals, are not good. Deprived of its French contingent (Hastoy, Aldritt, Danty, Boudehent, Bourgarit, Wardi, Atonio…) but also of the Australian Skelton, injured during the World Cup or the Samoan Seuteni, the Maritimes are struggling. A dependence on its internationals which hurts, and which is reflected in the ranking with a dismal eleventh place before the matches of its competitors. Not good news, especially when we know that Grégory Alldritt should be absent for the entire month of December.