This past Saturday afternoon, the Perpignan football team defeated Toulon to earn their first win of the season (19-13). Check out our picks for the best Tops and Flip-Flops.
TOPS
The Catalan hinge was precious
Tristan Tedder (opener) and Tom Ecochard (scrum-half), both of whom were not there in La Rochelle the previous week, played exceptionally well for the victory versus Toulon on Saturday afternoon (19-13). The first one kept Toulon in the game for a considerable amount of time by moving well with the ball in hand and being successful on foot, despite making two mistakes. The second was successful in generating some great pressure kicks and in increasing the pace of play throughout the Catalan game phases.
Perpignan showed a lot of desire
Before the arrival of Toulon, Usap was not the team that was considered to be the favorite on paper, and its head coach, David Marty, stressed the necessity of ” doing the feat “. Because this year marks the 120th anniversary of the club, the members of the team gave their all in front of the fans, making up for the challenges of the game via their impact in the battles, and their clarity in the most intense moments. A well-earned win for the Catalans, which was also their first of the new campaign.
Acebes concluded a nice try
The challenging weather circumstances contributed to a dismal opening phase of play, which was highlighted by the locals’ lone and only try, which was scored by Mathieu Acebes in the 18th minute of play. Following a scrum in the Toulon camp, the Catalan three-quarters chained the passes, allowing the captain to finish the play in the corner. A stunning example of action at close range!
FLOPS
The weather didn’t help
At the beginning of the game, it was pouring rain in Perpignan, which eventually turned the playing field into a muddy pool. Under these circumstances, the two teams were never really able to produce a play, linking slips, mistakes, and handling faults together. Consequently, the game was never really won by either team. The game was brought to life by Acebes’s outstanding first-hand try, which came in the 18th minute.
The Toulon touch missed everything
Due to the slow progress of the conquest in contact, the RCT has never been in a position to capitalize on the extremely infrequent incursions it has made into the USAP camp. Tolofua and subsequently Bobigny were only seldom successful in finding their jumpers, what with Catalan counterattacks and throws that were not straight. Toulon was finally penalized for losing 7 touches. In preparation for the upcoming match, Franck Azéma and Pierre Mignoni have some work to do here.
Baptiste Serin did not shine
Author of a full match as a scrum half in the triumph against Clermont (29-28) the week before, Baptiste Serin was less inspired at the outset on Saturday afternoon, still with the captain’s armband on his shoulders. His kicks were frequently inaccurate, making it difficult to apply pressure on Perpignan, which allowed them to recover a lot of balls. Because of an injury to his ribs, the former Bordeaux player was forced to withdraw from the game just before halftime.
