Picking a scrum-half who had never played professional rugby, at Mayol, for Toulon’s first home match of the season, was a gamble. It paid off by a single point.

Twenty-eight minutes defending a point

The last points of the match came in the 52nd minute, an Antoine Hastoy penalty that put La Rochelle 21-20 up. Nobody scored after that.

The visitors therefore spent the last half-hour protecting a one-point lead, away to a side playing their first home game. They managed it.

Hastoy scored half the points

The La Rochelle fly-half scored eleven of his side’s twenty-one points: three penalties, in the 4th, 18th and 52nd minutes, and the conversion of Watisoni Waqanisaravi’s try in the 46th.

Jack Nowell had scored La Rochelle’s first try in the 12th minute. For Toulon, Mateo Garcia in the 8th, Mathis Ferté in the 15th and Baptiste Serin in the 50th all crossed, with Melvyn Jaminet adding a penalty and a conversion.

Three tries to two for Toulon, then, but one point fewer on the scoreboard.

Seven forwards on the bench and a debutant at scrum-half

The team sheet told you about the gamble. Valentin Bouju, eighteen, wore the number 9 shirt for his first professional start, and he played the full eighty minutes. On the bench were seven forwards and just one back, Sacha Elissalde.

Levani Botia, meanwhile, was making his return at thirty-seven and was sin-binned as early as the 9th minute. La Rochelle therefore started the match with fourteen men for ten minutes.

Two wins in two rounds, by four points combined

La Rochelle had beaten Stade Toulousain 30-27 in the opening round. This time they won 21-20. Two wins, a combined margin of four points.

Toulon, beaten in Bayonne and then at home, are still without a win after two rounds and leave with just a losing bonus point.