A trip to confirm the start of recovery. Stade Français, 12th in the standings (19 points), plays this Sunday (9:5 p.m.) in Bayonne at the end of the 11th day of Top 14 rugby. After their reassuring victory last Sunday in the derby against Racing 92 (40-24), the Parisians will try to glean a first away success this season, to continue to move away from the red zone.
It won’t be easy against Aviron Bayonnais in form (7th with 26 points), on its home turf in the Basque Country. “We know the context there, the atmosphere, it’s one of the places, not hostile, but where there is a certain fervor,” believes Laurent Labit, the Parisian coach. We know where we are going to set foot. It’s up to us to get off to a good start.”
Turnover in Paris
And finish well, too. Against Racing, the last 20 minutes were sluggish. “During our away defeats, at Pau or La Rochelle, we led at half-time, and we left with zero points,” recalls Labit. We need 80 minutes of consistency. »
To go the distance, the Parisian coach, who has recovered almost all of his injured players (only 2, Melikidze and Hirigoyen, are still missing), decided to rotate a little, to inject new blood. If the Brad Weber-Louis Carbonel hinge is renewed, Laurent Labit has notably modified his third line, with Ryan Chapuis and the former Bayonnais Pierre Huguet starting, alongside the tireless Romain Briatte.
At the back, Joe Jonas continues, while Léo Barré, back from selection, is on the bench, as are Sekou Macalou and Andy Timo, who will play his first match this season.
On the Bayonne side, note the tenure of former Parisians Joris Segonds at opener, Giovanni Habel-Kuffner in the third line and Nadir Megdoud on the wing, who will want to remember the Pink Soldiers fondly.
Team compositions
Bayonne – Stade FrançaisSunday (9:05 p.m.) for the 11th day of the Top 14.
Referee: Ludovic Cayre.
Bayonne. Tiberghien – Megdoud, Maqala, M. Tuilagi, Carreras – (o) Segonds, (m) Machenaud – Capilla, Cassiem, Habel-Küffner – Paulos, Chouzenoux (cap.) – Cotet, Bosch, Cormenier.
Remplaçants: L. Martin, Villar, Poloniati, Heguy, Rouet, Lopez, Martocq, Scholtz
French Stadium. Jonas – Dakuwaqa, Marchant, Delbouis, Etien – (o) Carbonel, (m) Weber – Chapuis, Briatte, Huguet – Turagacoke, Gabrillagues (cap.) – P. Alo-Emile, Nicotera, M. Alo-Emile.
Substitutes: Peyresblanques, Abramishvili, Azagoh, Timo, Macalou, Motassi, Barre, Gomez Kodela.
