French Top 8’s big TV weekend
French TV’s much-anticipated “24 hours of women’s sport” included two games from the Top 8 last weekend, with both games decided by a single score.
Published by John Birch, January 25th, 2015
5 minute read
Lille thank their "16th player" after Saturday's win
Saturday afternoon saw league leaders Lille take on fourth-placed Perpignan in front of President of the FFR, 2,500 spectators and the cameras of Canal+, for whom it was the main sports event of the day.
At the start the occasion seemed to get to the home team more than the visitors, and in the fourth minute Julie Billes scored for Perpignan. The visitor’s forwards dominated the opening exchanges, but the league leaders appeared disorganised, but hung on to stay only 7-0 down at half-time.
"The girls were obviously stressed, not because of the game but by the context. So that we could not implement our game-plan”, says Damien Couvreur, coach. “Our retention was not good enough in the first half..."
It was a rather different Lille who emerged in the second half, and on 52 minutes they were level with a penalty try. Perpignan struck back with a drop goal from Christelle Le Duff put them back ahead shortly afterwards, but with eight minutes to go Yanna Rivoalen battled through to score Lille’s second try.
"In the second half our pack was stronger, the ball was retained, although it we struggled at times we kept to our plan”, concludes Lille’s coach. “It was the victory at the end, and that's what counts! We were also able to count on our supporters who have been a real sixteenth player."
Sunday saw Montpellier take on Blagnac St Orens (BSORF) on France4. Played on a cold day, with a biting win, the game did not really catch fire until the second half, a typical Montpellier try from Safi N’Diaye with a scrum driven to the line being the highlight of the first half, which ended with the home team 5-3 ahead.
BSORF upped the pace significantly, and new French cap Carla Neisen – who had an excellent game – broke through the Montpellier line to score under the posts shortly after the restart. However, when the ball was with the forwards the Montpellier pack was imperious, winning everything and putting BSORF under huge pressure. To counter this BSORF attempted a series of short throws to lineouts, but such was the pressure that even these failed, and it was from one of the resulting penalties that another drive to the line resulted in Montpellier’s second try, this time a penalty try.
Despite this, with ball in hand BSORF were a constant threat, and it always seemed possible that they might turn the game their way, but Montpellier held on for a 15-10 win.
The third game of the day saw Bobigny return to winning ways, but probably too late to affect the outcome of the championship. However heir 29-0 win over La Valette still gives them a theoretical chance of a play-off place.
Apart from the one outstanding game – between Bobigny and Perpignan, to be played on 22ndFebruary – the Top 8 now goes into a nine week break until 29thMarch.
MeanwhileFrench Eurosport are reported to be "very encouraged" by the TV audience for their broadcast of Montpellier v Perpignan two weeks ago. The subcription-only channel recorded an audience peaking at 80,000 which is "about the same as for Division 1 women's football broadcasts" and all the more impressive for what had been a "difficult period, with the game up against retransmissions of the march in Paris on the main channels"
CLUB
P
W
D
L
PD
BP
PTS
1
LILLE METROPOL RC VILLENEUVOIS
12
10
0
2
183
6
46
1
MONTPELLIER R C
12
10
0
2
112
6
46
3
BLAGNAC SAINT ORENS RUGBY FEMININ
12
8
0
4
92
5
37
4
U S A P XV FEMININ ROUSSILLON
11
7
0
4
142
7
35
5
L OVALIE CAENNAISE
12
5
0
7
-7
5
25
6
A C BOBIGNY 93 RUGBY
11
5
0
6
-82
3
23
7
STADE RENNAIS RUGBY
12
2
0
10
-91
5
13
8
RUGBY CLUB VALETTOIS REVESTOIS
12
0
0
12
-349
1
1