{"id":147940,"date":"2025-06-08T01:55:34","date_gmt":"2025-06-08T01:55:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/top-14-stade-francais-vs-castres-hirigoyens-powerful-return-barlots-misalignment\/"},"modified":"2025-06-08T01:55:36","modified_gmt":"2025-06-08T01:55:36","slug":"top-14-stade-francais-vs-castres-hirigoyens-powerful-return-barlots-misalignment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/top-14-stade-francais-vs-castres-hirigoyens-powerful-return-barlots-misalignment\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 14: Stade Fran\u00e7ais vs Castres &#8211; Hirigoyen&#8217;s powerful return, Barlot&#8217;s misalignment."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div rel=\"js-article-content\">\n<h2>Stade Fran\u00e7ais Secures Top 14 Position with Hard-Fought Victory<\/h2>\n<p>In a dramatic clash, Stade Fran\u00e7ais triumphed over Castres with a score of \u00a021-10\u00a0, ensuring their place in the \u00a0Top 14\u00a0 for the upcoming season. The match highlighted the significant contributions of Stade&#8217;s forwards, particularly \u00a0Mathieu Hirigoyen\u00a0 and the powerhouse front row of \u00a0Paul Alo-Emile\u00a0 and \u00a0Giorgi Melikidze\u00a0. Conversely, Castres&#8217; \u00a0Ga\u00ebtan Barlot\u00a0 struggled to find his rhythm throughout the match.<\/p>\n<h2>The Stars of the Match<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Mathieu Hirigoyen; 7\/10<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>After facing a frustrating season marred by injury, Hirigoyen made his long-awaited return in the 24<sup>th<\/sup> round against Lyon on May 17. His performance against Castres was nothing short of exceptional, showcasing his skills in the air and on the ground. He played a pivotal role in rallying his team after Castres&#8217; initial try, even managing to score the first try for Stade. Despite being thwarted twice while trying to reach the try line, his relentless energy was evident and greatly benefited the team.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Paul Alo-Emile and Giorgi Melikidze: 7\/10<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The duo of Alo-Emile and Melikidze excelled in both the scrum and open play. Their physical presence was a constant threat to Castres, allowing Stade to control the game&#8217;s pace, especially in the first half. Their crucial play during the \u00a070<sup>th<\/sup> minute\u00a0 exemplified their impact, as Alo-Emile managed to win a critical ball back, relieving pressure on their side and enabling \u00a0Ezeala\u00a0 to seal the match for Paris.<\/p>\n<p>On the other side of the pitch, Castres&#8217; three-quarter center also displays immense value when active. His impressive attacking and defensive performance, including his first try of the match, underlined his capability to change the game&#8217;s dynamics. With \u00a0four tackles\u00a0, a broken tackle, and significant ball-carrying efforts, he was a crucial asset for his team in the face of adversity.<\/p>\n<h2>The Disappointments of the Day<\/h2>\n<p>While the Stade Fran\u00e7ais secured a notable victory, their fly-half gave fans an uneasy experience. Despite scoring three successful kicks out of seven, \u00a0Zach Henry\u00a0 failed to make a significant impact on the overall gameplay, echoing a tough season for him. He did manage to hit a challenging drop goal in the \u00a062<sup>nd<\/sup> minute\u00a0, offering his team a much-needed breath of fresh air at a critical point in the match.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, \u00a0Ga\u00ebtan Barlot\u00a0, while active in the open play with an impressive \u00a0six tackles\u00a0, faltered when it came to securing the lineouts. Castres lost three crucial lineouts, which provided Stade with free possession that ultimately benefitted their game plan. This lack of coordination was detrimental in a match of such high stakes.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Abraham Papali\u2019i: 4.5\/10<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In contrast, Papali&#8217;i did not manage to influence the game as he typically does. He struggled to make significant gains and unfortunately received a yellow card, which placed his team at a disadvantage during a pivotal moment in the second half. His performance fell short of expectations and showcased a rare lapse in his usually strong output.<\/p>\n<div class=\"std-frame\">\n<h2>Stade Fran\u00e7ais Player Ratings<\/h2>\n<div class=\"encart_texte\">\n<ul>\n<li>15. L\u00e9o Barr\u00e9: 5\/10<\/li>\n<li>14. Joe Marchant: 5\/10<\/li>\n<li>13. Jeremy Ward: 6.5\/10<\/li>\n<li>12. Julien Delbouis: 5\/10<\/li>\n<li>11. Charles Laloi: 5\/10<\/li>\n<li>10. Zach Henry: 4.5\/10<\/li>\n<li>9. Louis Foursans: 6\/10<\/li>\n<li>8. Mathieu Hirigoyen: 7\/10<\/li>\n<li>7. Tanginoa Halaifonua: 6\/10<\/li>\n<li>6. Romain Briatte: 6.5\/10<\/li>\n<li>5. Baptiste Pesenti: 5.5\/10<\/li>\n<li>4. Paul Gabrillagues: 6.5\/10<\/li>\n<li>3. Paul Alo-Emile: 7\/10<\/li>\n<li>2. Giacomo Nicotera: 6\/10<\/li>\n<li>1. Giorgi Melikidze: 7\/10<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"std-frame\">\n<h2>Castres Player Ratings<\/h2>\n<div class=\"encart_texte\">\n<ul>\n<li>15. Th\u00e9o Chabouni: 5\/10<\/li>\n<li>14. Nathana\u00ebl Hulleu: 5\/10<\/li>\n<li>13. Vilimoni Botitu: 5\/10<\/li>\n<li>12. Adrien S\u00e9guret: 6\/10<\/li>\n<li>11. R\u00e9my Baget: 5\/10<\/li>\n<li>10. Louis Le Brun: 6\/10<\/li>\n<li>9. J\u00e9r\u00e9my Fernandez: 5.5\/10<\/li>\n<li>7. Baptiste Delaporte: 6\/10<\/li>\n<li>8. Abraham Papali\u2019i: 4.5\/10<\/li>\n<li>6. Mathieu Babillot: 5.5\/10<\/li>\n<li>5. Florent Vanverberghe: 4.5\/10<\/li>\n<li>4. Guillaume Ducat: 5\/10<\/li>\n<li>3. Nicolas Corato: 4.5\/10<\/li>\n<li>2. Ga\u00ebtan Barlot: 4\/10<\/li>\n<li>1. Quentin Walcker: 4.5\/10<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The hard-fought win for Stade Fran\u00e7ais ultimately reflects their resilience throughout the season. With standout performances from their forwards and stellar teamwork, they managed not only to secure victory but also solidify their place in the Top 14. The road ahead remains challenging, but this result serves as a positive springboard for the future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/category\/general\/\" rel=\"dofollow\">General News &#8211; 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stade Fran\u00e7ais Secures Top 14 Position with Hard-Fought Victory In a dramatic clash, Stade Fran\u00e7ais triumphed over Castres with a score of \u00a021-10\u00a0, ensuring their place in the \u00a0Top 14\u00a0 for the upcoming season. The match highlighted the significant contributions of Stade&#8217;s forwards, particularly \u00a0Mathieu Hirigoyen\u00a0 and the powerhouse front row of \u00a0Paul Alo-Emile\u00a0 and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":147941,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-147940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147940"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147940\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/147941"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}