On Sunday, the logic was once again respected in the barrage to accession to Top 14 with the maintenance of the elite of Perpignan owing to its large victory over Mont-de-Marsan (41-6), first in Pro D2, and tied the game for half before giving in. USAP was immediately relegated to the bottom of the Top 14 in 2019, despite being promoted previously. However, the club managed to remain there.
Since the creation of the accession dam four years ago, this is the first time that the elite club has taken the best from the lower levels. After a fantastic season, Stade Montois was already heavily beaten last week by Bayonne in the Pro D2 final (49-20). The Landais will finally have lost only one match in their Andre-et-Guy-Boniface stadium: the last, the most important, the one that would have allowed them to find the first level of French rugby, which they left. 2013
On Sunday, many Catalan supporters, clad in blood, gold, took control of the Mons enclosure, which was not full despite the stakes. The locals were not bothered by this as they played in a rhythmic first period despite the heat (16-16). Mont-de-Marsan was quickly rewarded for his commitment to all aspects of play with a try from Yoann Laousse-Azpiazu at the back.
Melvyn Jaminet, despite Alexandre De Nardi’s return, was not far away from stopping him from flattening. He responded in the same manner a few minutes later to leave his team in game despite their scrum difficulties. The international back, who had just returned from injury, scored 26 points in his match at Usap, which was his final match before joining Toulouse. This is 8 of 9 victories against the poles.
Perpignan gradually took the lead in the second half. It did this first through its boot, then thanks to a numerically superior attempt by the Argentinian international centre Jeronimo de la Fuente, which shattered the Landais’ morale ( 29-16, 56th). The trend was not reversed by Shaun Eru’s yellow card for high tackle. With a brilliant collective movement by Lucas Dubois that was concluded by Tristan Tedder, the Catalans ended all suspense.
It was a logical result, hailed by Sang et Or supporters invading the pitch — Usap has proven this season that it is in the Top 14 with prestigious wins in its stadium. Aime-Giral against Toulouse, La Rochelle or Bordeaux-Begles last week.
For those who are nostalgic about rugby from the past, the beautiful season of Stade Montois (French champion in 1963) will bring back some fond memories. With 23 wins in 30 matches, the 12th budget of Pro D2 (16) was not too complicated. However, it was certainly not the weekend of the Yellow or Black after losing to La Rochelle in Toulouse the day before.
