The pressure was on Pau after Montpellier’s victory in the afternoon against Clermont, and they suffered a logical defeat to La Rochelle on Saturday evening (20-6), losing their position as runner-up that they held for four months.
Despite the presence of most of their internationals, except for Fabien Brau-Boirie (fractured phalanx), the Béarnais paid the price for their indiscipline and poor offensive play – no tries scored, a first this season.
Now 3rd behind Toulouse and MHR, they are also closely followed by Stade Français pending the final clash of the 19th day between Bordeaux-Bègles and Toulouse on Sunday evening.
The Maritimes, revitalized by their success against Castres (31-26) before the international break and led by a resurgent Antoine Hastoy, confirmed their improvement, especially defensively.
Context:
La Rochelle defeated Pau, causing Pau to lose their second-place position in the league standings.
Fact Check:
Pau lost to La Rochelle with a score of 20-6.
The rest of the content has been omitted for brevity.
