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Vainqueur des Exeter Chiefs lors de la première journée
Bayonne’s winning start to the European Rugby Challenge Cup has fuelled hopes in the Basque country of reaching the knock-out stages of Europe for the first time.
Flanker Lisiate Fa’aoso was the Bayonne saviour with his late score that clinched a 30-24 win over Exeter Chiefs. That was despite spending almost half the game with 14 men following three yellow cards in a performance that will have both frustrated and delighted head coach Patricio Noriega in equal measure.
Scrum-half Christophe Loustalot and Pierre Sayerse also scored but hooker Gregory Arganese, flanker Baptiste Chouzenoux and centre Thibault Visensang were all binned. They cannot afford another such ill-disciplined display in the first French derby of this season’s tournament.
On their return to the Challenge Cup following a three year absence, La Rochelle suffered their worst defeat in Europe, losing 48-12 to Connacht in Galway, last week. Damien Cler and Charles Bouldoire both crossed for what was a largely development team from the west coast of France.
But the result was both the biggest losing margin and most points they had conceded in a European tie and head coach Pierre Venayre will demand a response at Stade Marcel Deflandre where La Rochelle have already beaten both Toulouse and Castres Olympique in the Top 14.
And with Fijian international wing Albert Vulivuli in the team, La Rochelle can always pose an attacking threat.
Match Facts
- This will be the first meeting between these two sides in this competition.
- La Rochelle have won two and lost five of their seven Challenge Cup fixtures against fellow French sides, but their two wins came in their last three games.
- Bayonne lost their last Challenge Cup game against French opposition but won seven in a row before that.
- Bayonne are just two tries away from scoring their 200th try in the tournament
La Rochelle claimed their first win in the European Rugby Challenge Cup with a 25-13 triumph over Bayonne in their all French encounter. - 24/10/2014 20:32
La Rochelle claimed their first win in the European Rugby Challenge Cup with a 25-13 triumph over Bayonne in their all French encounter.
The visitors to Stade Marcel Deflandre were favourites going into the clash after their last-ditch victory over Exeter, but tries from Julien Berger, Botia Veivvuke and Jone Qovu Nailiko sealed La Rochelle’s first four points in the competition.
Pierre Sayerse crossed late on but it was not enough to clinch a losing bonus-point. The home side stormed into after seven minutes through scrum-half Berger.
The Belgian scrum-half wriggled free to cross the line and Jules Lebali added the conversion to give his side the advantage over their Top 14 rivals. Blair Stewart got a penalty back 10 minutes later but that was matched by Lebali, who restored his side’s 7 point lead.
La Rochelle sit one place behind their Pool Two opponents in their domestic league but it was the hosts who were flexing their muscles before half-time – with Veivuke going over for their second try.
And things got worse for Bayonne as they saw Lucas Pointud sent to the sin-bin five minutes before half-time.
Despite being down to 14-men Stewart clawed Bayonne back into within nine points with a penalty. But Lebali hit one of his own to make it 18-6 before Nailiko wrapped up the four points for La Rochelle.
The No8 powered his way to the line, leaving a trail of defenders in his wake to put the gloss on his side’s first victory in the new-look European Rugby Challenge Cup.
Sayerse struck late to give Bayonne a a consolation score, but it was not enough to claim a losing bonus-point and they went away empty handed after the 25-13 defeat.
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