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This was a conditioning contest disguised as a round-one scrap. Shorn of 18 players and leant on by their coach’s “bosseurs”, Section Paloise were still the side with more petrol at the death. Down 19–17 on 62 minutes, they finished with a clinical try to Jack Maddocks and a composed Joe Simmonds penalty to pull clear, while a heavy-legged Montpellier Hérault Rugby ran out of pushes.
The pattern made sense. Montpellier arrived with one friendly under their belt after a season that only ended in late June; the chassis is sturdy, the sharp edges aren’t on yet. Pau, meanwhile, travelled light on star power but heavy on work-rate, exactly the identity Sébastien Piqueronies has been banging on about. “S’il y a un fil conducteur… c’est que ce sont tous des bosseurs,” he said this week. It showed when it mattered.
L. Akrab (37'), A. Cadot (42'), Y. Camara (55')
Tries
Y. Delhommel (8'), R. Marta (40'), J. Maddocks (65')
D. Miotti (38', 43')
Conversions
J. Simmonds (8', 40+2', 65')
Penalties
J. Simmonds (22', 72')
Montpellier will point to their set piece and for an hour they’d be right. Six from six at scrum, 15 from 16 at lineout. They also carried more and beat more defenders, with Justo Piccardo punching holes from 12 and Auguste Cadot tallying eight defenders beaten and a finish straight after the break. But they never cashed in enough when the game slowed, and they lost the breakdown 6–2 on turnovers won. That’s where cooked legs show first. Once Pau dragged the contest back to ruck detail and territory, the home side’s shape and discipline frayed.
It had already been a weird watch by then. Montpellier took two early yellows, yet still hauled themselves to a 19–17 lead through Cadot and a rumbling Yacouba Camara on 55 minutes. That effort, though, cost them. Paired with the lack of pre-season minutes, the bench didn’t spike the tempo; changes around 66 minutes coincided with the loss of field position. When Simmonds steered Pau back into the corners, the home kick-chase splintered once and Maddocks didn’t need a second invitation.
CARRIES
CLEAN BREAK
DEFENDER BEATEN
TACKLE
MISSED TACKLE
TURNOVER WON
TURNOVERS CONCEDED
PENALTY CONCEDED
YELLOW CARD
POSSESSION
SCRUMS
LINEOUTS
The first half told you what Pau had brought to town. Work. Youri Delhommel poached the opener and Rodrigo Marta knifed in on the stroke of half-time to make 17–7, the kind of punch that lets you play the second half on your terms. Marta’s 86 metres and three clean breaks were the incisive garnish on a plate stacked with graft: Facundo Isa made 20 tackles and 59 metres, Loïc Credoz hit 16 tackles, and Émilien Gailleton added 12 more in the line. That defensive shift (174 tackles made) is precisely the ‘workers’ profile Piqueronies wanted to lean on in a week without Julián Montoya and a raft of first-choice forwards.
Montpellier had their moments with ball in hand. Piccardo’s carrying game gave them front-foot ball, Domingo Miotti connected with his runners, and their maul was tidy enough to keep Pau honest. But the red-zone composure wasn’t there often enough, and when they finally snagged the lead against 14 after Gonzalo Garcia’s yellow, they didn’t build another meaningful score. One more accurate possession there and Pau’s chase gets a lot tighter. Instead, they got caught upfield, conceded the Maddocks strike and then a penalty that killed the bonus-losing margin as well as the game.
Credit Pau’s half-backs for that closing stretch. Simmonds was spotless off the tee (12 points) and pragmatic with the boot. The late cameo from Thibault Daubagna helped steady the heartbeat after a jittery third quarter; you could feel the decision-making settle. Out wide, Maddocks’ timing and Marta’s menace asked just enough questions of a backfield that hadn’t spent much time together since June. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was smart.
There are caveats for the winners. The scrum number — two from three — will be a worry when the calendar throws up heavier scrummaging outfits, particularly given there was no front-row recruitment despite last spring’s wobble. Discipline flickered too, with yellows to Beka Gorgadze and Garcia inviting pressure at bad moments. They survived because their tackle technique held and their nine–ten managed the clock. Stronger sides will be less forgiving.
As for Montpellier, the eight-point gap doesn’t flatter Pau. It reflects the last quarter, where the visitors were composed and the hosts were not. Still, the bones are there: the set piece is humming, Camara looked lively, and Cadot’s footwork offered punch. What’s missing is cohesion after two months off and the bench impact that wins tight league games in September. With only one warm-up and a short turnaround from a double-final spring, that’s not exactly a mystery.
Pau leave with a valuable away win and a confirmation that Piqueronies’ identity travels even when the team sheet doesn’t. Montpellier leave with a reminder that structure without sting won’t close matches, and that early-season legs can betray tidy systems. One side knew how it wanted to win on day one; the other will have to play itself into that knowledge over the next few weeks.
