pressure-employment, the recipe for success for UBB
“This is an important victory for…
“It is an important victory to reach the famous series that we have been waiting for for a long time, says Julien Laïrle, the forwards coach. It’s not a good victory, we know well that we didn’t play our best game, but winning games like this, when you’re not at the top level, is also important. We managed to score points everywhere, it’s a sign of progress, of confidence. We won’t be picky, we’re very happy.”
UBB dials 50-22
After the famous click in La Rochelle, UBB hasn’t changed its recipe for success. As in Marcel-Deflandre or against Montpellier, Bordeaux applied the same game plan against Aviron and its aggressive defense. In two words: pressure-employment. “Sometimes it’s a bit rough, with just footwork everywhere, it’s not for me. But it works, smiles the third line Jandre Marais. When faced with teams that defend a lot, the more you play the more you risk getting into trouble, so you have to be patient.
“We managed to score points everywhere, it’s a sign of progress, of confidence”
For three weeks, this team from Bordeaux, who like to emphasize that their DNA is the outfield game, followed this other game plan to the letter. “In the past we didn’t necessarily believe it, we didn’t play well,” explains scrum-half Maxime Lucu. There, respecting things, making videos, analyzing each other’s play, it works. We work much harder, much better, and we are confident in this match. With Maxime Machenaud and Camille Lopez we know that the Bayonnais are very strong in this, we mustn’t expose ourselves. As soon as we did that, we put ourselves in danger. They didn’t have ammo for 75 minutes on our pitch because we stuck to this game plan, it’s never the best rugby but Bayonne has come to play like this so we had to start to come out victorious. »
With the game under Lucu’s feet, the solidity of Buros and Bielle-Biarrey in receiving high balls, UBB proves to have the answer in this register. Against the rowing, his two tries came from a 50-22. On the first found by Lucu, Bielle-Biarrey immediately takes the sideline to launch Moefana in the end area (10-0, 10th). After Holmes’ double-up, Cordero went flat at the back of the line (20-3, 48th).
Lack of efficiency
“Make the history of last season, take the French champion, the Premiership champion, the winner of the Six Nations Tournament, they are not the ones who carry the most ball, underlines Julien Laïrle. The game of kicks is decisive in today’s rugby, you have to accept it. But it requires a lot of work, a lot of pressure, competitions without the ball… It requires a real strategy, even the acceptance of the group. But afterwards it also requires efficiency. »
“Footwork is decisive in today’s rugby, you have to accept it”
Facing Bayonne, the Bordeaux proved less effective in the truth zone than in previous outings, dropping many balls or being pushed into foul play on the ground. And when they went a bit off the field right at the end of the match, they broke into a cold sweat as they conceded two tries by Bayonne from balls brought in by Van Jaarsveld (23-10, 72nd then 23-15, 77th).
While it has sparked a good dynamic, UBB retains some stigma from its start to the season. “You must not take yourself for others, warns Maxime Lucu. Six weeks ago we were at the bottom of the standings, these are the mistakes we made and we paid for them. Rugby is a game, but it’s not always a game, there’s a strategy going on. When we respect it, we see that it works. As soon as we let go, Bayonne hurts us. All it took was one attempt and it was over. »
In any case, the Bordeaux continue their good series and have achieved the objective they set for themselves the day after the departure of Christophe Urios, namely to integrate the top 6 at the end of this block. “Perhaps we were faced with a fait accompli,” says Julien Laïrle. It is clear that the results are there. But we are only in January. Electroshock is obviously 4 or 5 games. Now it must last until June ”.
