Oscar Jegou, back in competition more than three months after the night in Mendoza and the legal affair that followed, punished the Parisians. This Saturday evening on the Marcel-Deflandre pitch, he scored the third of four La Rochelle tries against Stade Français during the 9th day of the Top 14 (35-18).
A few moments after a penalty from Ihaia West (53rd, 21-18), the 21-year-old Frenchman flattened himself at the foot of the posts (61st, 28-18 after transformation). The audience cheered and even chanted his name. As he had already done when announcing the compositions. He thanked with a heart with his hands, visibly moved.
Pending the dismissal hearing, Jegou remains indicted for rape by the Argentine courts, with Hugo Auradou, who had already played again at the beginning of October with Pau. Both players have maintained their innocence since the start of this affair. They acknowledge a consensual sexual relationship with the alleged victim but categorically deny any form of violence.
Ronan O’Gara, the La Rochelle coach, told Canal + about Jegou’s return that “it’s very good for everyone, especially the supporters, to see a performance like that. The club’s management led by Pierre Venayre (general manager) and Vincent Merling (president) decided that it was the time for him to play. I didn’t have an opinion. It was decided above my head. But after he starts it’s obvious because he’s a class player.”
Second row Will Skelton buried the last Parisian hopes less than ten minutes from the end. Served by a fantastic pass at the foot of Brice Dulin, he knocked down Louis Carbonel and Brad Weber before finishing. Ihaia West converted the try (71st, 35-18).
There were two different matches this Saturday evening on the Marcel-Deflandre pitch. That of the first period, where ambitious Parisians were carried by the wind. Then that of the second act, during which the gusts were no longer behind their backs but in front of them.
Because before the break, the Parisians were dominant, occupying the La Rochelle camp. With the wind at our backs, Parisian opener Louis Carbonel was stocking up on points. Results: five penalties converted (9th, 13th, 28th, 36th, 39th) all more than 40 m apart from the first. So, even if Stade Français had not scored a try, it was leading at the break (11-15).
The penultimate French Stadium
La Rochelle tried to respond, thanks to penalties from Ihaia West (17th, 40th) and a try from Teddy Thomas, formerly of Racing 92 (32nd). But her indiscipline penalized her, as her three-quarter center Jules Favre testified at half-time, speaking to Canal+: “We fed them and they got 15 points in their mouths. We give them everything! » A defect largely corrected in the second half.
La Rochelle then found color again. From the 45th minute, hooker Silatolu Latu dived to flatten, then Ihaia West transformed (18-15). Even if Louis Carbonel equalized immediately on a penalty (47th, 18-18), the match had turned.
After this setback, Stade Français is still trailing at the bottom of the standings, in penultimate place. Stade Rochelais, for its part, carried out a superb accounting operation and took third place.
