News

Toulouse leave Bourgoin in trouble

Friday 21st November 2008

An eventful night: Fred Michalak drops Mickael Forest

Toulouse escaped the Stade Pierre Rajon with an 18-12 win over Bourgoin on Friday, in awful conditions in the Top 14.

The visitors scored the only two tries, and were probably good value for their win, but it was in serious doubt early in the second half when Bourgoin full-back Florian Denos landed a superb drop goal to take his side 12-10 into the lead.

The game took an age to get going, with the rain pelting down with almost as much incessancy as the kicks.

Toulouse full-back Gaffie du Toit's booming boot rules the roost for a while, but it became too booming, and a couple of balls kicked dead gave Bourgoin an attacking platform from which Benjamin Boyet missed one shot at goal, but made no mistake with another after 19 minutes.

A couple of minutes later, Bourgoin suffered a significant blow when Kiwi flanker Tim Cowley got caught under a collapsing scrum. He left motionless on a stretcher, a disturbing sight.

From the next play, Toulouse scored. Freddie Michalak, once again to have an eventful evening, feigned a switch with Florian Fritz before setting Manu Ahotaeiloa away, and the Tongan fed Fijian Maleli Kunavore for the try, which Michalak converted.

Michalak extended the lead with a penalty three minutes later, but Boyet replied almost instantly with a drop goal, and then landed a magnificent penalty on the stroke of half-time to leave the teams separated by one point at the break.

Both kickers missed a penalty in the opening quarter of an hour of the second half, Michalak compounding that miss with a wayward drop goal effort.

Then Denos came into what could have been a starring role. first he led a scintillating counter attack from his own 22. then he was on hand to regather a clearance kick and drop a sublime goal from 40 metres to give his side the lead.

The fire was in Bourgoin bellies, never more apparent than in the pugilistic reaction to Michalak's near-spear tackle on Micka�l Forest, but the lack of self-control cost them dear.

While Michalak was gone Bourgoin conceded two penalties, one converted by Du Toit, and then when a Bourgoin kick was charged down - not for the first time - the heavy pressure on the Bourgoin line was turned into a score by Byron Kelleher.

Michalak inexplicably missed the conversion from near the posts, leaving Bourgoin with a bonus point, but the home side, in serious danger of relegation, will be reflecting they should have had more.

The scorers:

For Bourgoin:
Pens: Boyet 2
Drop goals: Boyet, Denos

For Toulouse:
Tries: Kunavore, Kelleher
Con: Michalak
Pens: Michalak, Du Toit