It was in this pre-Covid atmosphere, undoubtedly the hottest of the rugby season in France, that the 113 took place.e derby history between the enemy brothers of the Basque Country opposing the Olympic Biarritz (the BO) to the Aviron bayonnais, Saturday 12 June.
The stands of the sports park of Aguiléra, in Biarritz, were almost covered with red (the color of the BO) and sky blue (the Rowing), in a very relative respect of the sanitary instructions.
The tone had been set upon the arrival of the coaches of the two teams, at the usual time of the nap, under the smoke or the boos. It went up a notch again at the entry of the players on the lawn, in a mad clamor and perhaps heard, depending on the direction of the wind, to the suburbs of Bayonne, barely 5 kilometers away.
In the process, the prefect of Pyrénées-Atlantiques has “Strongly condemned” the non-compliance with anti-Covid health rules, the sprains having multiplied, during the meeting, according to the prefecture.
[#BOAB]
The @ Prefet64 strongly condemns the breaches of sanitary rules during the derby between… https://t.co/M6Q8iQwrax
“The gauge of the Aguiléra stadium in Bayonne, set at 5,000 people”, has been “Clearly outdated” and the “National police found the sale of alcohol to take away within the sports arena”. “In addition, the sanitary pass controls were not systematically carried out by the club at the end of entry into the stadium”, she notes.
“Finally, the end of the match gave rise to an invasion of the field, moreover without any respect for barrier gestures”, also deplores the prefect, while “During preparatory meetings, the Biarritz Olympique club fully committed to respecting the 5,000-person tonnage and not selling take-away alcohol”.
Recalling that“It is the responsibility of the organizers of events, especially sporting events, to enforce these rules in order to prevent the spread of the virus”, the prefect “Seized the public prosecutor of Bayonne and is studying the administrative sanctions likely to be taken”, concludes the press release.
Excited atmosphere
On the pitch, this match kept all its promises in terms of commitment and dramaturgy. But carried by the overheated atmosphere of their sports park in Aguiléra, the Biarrots, residents of the second division, had the stronger nerves during the penalty shootout, after a hundred minutes of a huge fight (6-6 ).
The Biarrots had prepared this week, with training in noise to get used to the presence of the public again. But a derby cannot be anticipated, it is experienced, and the gap division between the two Basque rivals has been erased by the stakes.
Biarritz will return to the Top 14 next season, seven years after leaving it. Bayonne, his rival and neighbor, is relegated to Pro D2. At the end of the meeting, Lucas Peyresblanques, hooker from Biarritz, declared: “The scenario of the match is incredible, indescribable. (…) It’s an exceptional match, with a terrible stake. We can only be proud of what we have accomplished. ” Scrum half Barnabé Couilloud added: “We don’t really realize what we did. I don’t know how long it will take. We are very happy, we have seen scenes of exceptional joy. The scenario was incredible, the party is beautiful, we will try to make the most of it because we deserve it, the season has been very long. “
