Colomiers
Béziers
J. Danglot (6', 43'), A. MOLINA (12', 51'), T. Giral (31'), T. Lachaud (59', 68'), E. Dridi (80')
Tries
N. Sutidze (38'), A. Kuruisaqila (41'), J. Poulet (76')
T. Debaes (43', 51', 59', 68', 80')
Conversions
G. Kretchmann (38', 41')
T. Debaes (23')
Penalties
We don’t have verified post-match data sets for this one, which is a pity, because Colomiers ran up a score that begs to be explained. What we do know from the match ledger is enough to sketch the shape: eight home tries, a flurry either side of the break, a bench that finished the job. It looked nothing like a meeting of two sides who began the night two places apart on the ladder. That’s the story — not the number itself, but how quickly Colomiers turned a tight contest into a rout.
Even without possession charts or set-piece percentages, the timings are loud. AS Béziers Hérault had dragged the game to 18-14 just after half-time, only for Colomiers to hit back within two minutes through Jules Danglot. That immediate punch after conceding — followed by an avalanche on 51, 59 and 68 minutes — is the decisive passage. It speaks to control of field position, cleaner exits, and a sharper edge in the red zone when the contest became a grind.
The halves steered it. Danglot scored early, then again right when Béziers had a foothold, the classic scrum-half’s feel for tempo. Outside him, Thibault Debaes managed the scoreboard: a first-half penalty when the game was poking and prodding, then five clean conversions in the second period to keep Béziers chasing sevens. That matters. When the gap is stretching and every conversion lands, the chasers feel it.
Colomiers’ finishers did the rest. Replacement hooker Théo Lachaud crossed twice in nine minutes, both from close quarters after sustained pressure. That typically means a pack winning the gain line and staying connected through multiple phases. Add Alberto Carmona Molina’s brace and late polish from Erwan Dridi, and you’re looking at a backline that cashed in once the forwards had Beziers making soft shoulders. The blend was right: half-back control, variety in the strike runners, and fresh muscle punching holes when legs tired.
Béziers weren’t passengers. They scored three times — Nika Sutidze just before the interval, Apisalome Kuruisaqila almost on the restart, and Job Poulet late — so they weren’t shut out of the gain line. Their issue was the minutes after each high. Twice they followed a positive with a negative: the half-time lifeline was undermined by Danglot’s swift reply; the late Poulet try arrived at 46-14, long after the damage was done. That hints at problems around restarts and exits rather than a lack of attacking threat.
Could the margin flatter Colomiers? A little, in that two of their eight came in the last quarter when Béziers were stretched and Lachaud was fresh. But only a little. The key swing at 41-43 minutes was earned, and the cold fact is that Béziers conceded in bunches: three in 17 minutes after the break, then another pair to close it out. When a game breaks open that way, it’s usually the breakdown and discipline. We can’t verify penalty counts, but Béziers repeatedly gave Colomiers “repeat set” territory and the hosts did not waste it.
Individually, Colomiers’ spine was influential. Théo Giral chimed in from 15 with a first-half try, which often signals good back-field connection and kick return decisions. Richard Hardwick and the back five gave their half-backs front-foot ball often enough that the attack could stay multi-sided rather than clogging the same tramlines. Again, the ledger can’t show ruck speed, but eight tries across nine, ten and fifteen suggests they stressed Béziers in more than one channel.
For Béziers, Gabin Kretchmann kept them in touch off the tee around the turn, and Poulet’s strike shows there’s still bite in the midfield. But their defensive reload after line breaks was sluggish, and their response to pressure phases lacked the killer jackal or clearout that breaks momentum. The recent trend matters too: heavy concessions on the road and narrow misses at home hint at a group that fades when asked to absorb multiple sets in succession.
Context matters at Bendichou. Colomiers arrived with improving home form and used it like a lever. This had the feel of a side comfortable in its patterns and confident that the next chance would come if they just kept kicking to corners, squeezing exits, and trusting their bench to finish. Béziers had moments, but not enough control of the pieces between those moments.
Takeaways? Colomiers will bottle the template: assertive right after half-time, accurate off the tee, and a bench that raises the pace rather than just holding it. That travels, or at least keeps them climbing when they’re back here. Béziers leave with something to fix that doesn’t require a data scientist to find: the two minutes after they score, and the ten minutes after half-time. Solve those and they’ll stop turning contests into chases. Leave them, and nights like this will keep getting away from them.