Section Paloise vs Perpignan Top 14 preview, Digi Mart USA News (Pau, France): Section Paloise is enjoying good results at Le Hameau, but it is not letting that success go to its head before hosting Perpignan this Saturday at 4:35 p.m. The club will be without several major players, and Perpignan has often caused problems for it.
Confidence can go hand in hand with caution. “We manage to win and turn matches around, and that feeds our confidence.
But we also know that in the Top 14, if you underestimate an opponent and are only at 90 percent, it doesn’t work,” said Clément Laporte, illustrating that ambivalence. The challenge is greater because, after hosting Toulouse, the four-time reigning French champions, in a prime-time match, Pau now faces Perpignan, a team of lesser stature.
“There is a particular atmosphere here when it’s Toulouse at 9 p.m. Afterward, there is inevitably a letdown, even more so when you are playing at home again.
It is always a danger. We warned everyone at the beginning of the week, and after that we didn’t talk about it anymore,” said Thomas Choveau, the backs and lineout coach, candidly describing the difficulties of such a schedule.
“Maybe the reverse would have been easier, starting with Perpignan. Against Toulouse you don’t need to motivate the players or tell them to watch video.
Nobody is sick, everyone is fine and wants to play. We discussed this small risk of letdown, but we are well prepared,” said the Lyon native, noting with some humor that “Perpignan is a team that often gives us trouble.”
Paradoxically, Pau has done well against the Vert et Blanc, winning nine of the twelve meetings with the Catalan side since 2018. However, those wins often came with difficulty on their opponents’ ground, such as the narrow victory a year ago in November 2025.
“They left with a defensive bonus point, and at the end we had defended two or three hot possessions, Choveau recalled. It looks a lot like a copy and paste of last year, even if they are better on the scoreboard.”
Section Paloise, meanwhile, is in strong shape. It could even record a first record bonus-point streak with a win.
“We will try to do better. Beyond that, we are at the same level.
And it no longer surprises anyone that we are in the top positions; it has become normal,” the coach said. He admitted the team will eventually lose at home, adding, “It remains fragile, I know a home defeat will come one day.
We will simply make sure it is not this weekend.”
Settled into their routine, with 19 consecutive home wins in the regular season, the Béarnais remain on their guard. “We have just beaten a big team, and we had a short six-day week before playing again.
We have to get into the groove quickly, because trap matches exist,” warned Clément Laporte. “We don’t want this to be one of them.” After ten weeks of demanding competition, he added, “it will be all-in on the table.”
That was the mood in Pau this week, when all the club’s forces were mobilized to compensate for a sizable absence list of roughly twenty players. “The many young players at training brought energy.
It is up to us to turn that into something positive,” said Youri Delhommel.
“It is good to see juniors, players who played the World Cup final every session. It changes the setting during a somewhat routine period.
You have to keep them in check a bit, but it is refreshing and contagious for the others. And it is great to be with guys happy to have an opportunity to discover the Top 14, which we don’t take for granted,” added Thomas Choveau.
Once on the lookout during periods of overlapping fixtures, Section Paloise is now on alert. “For the big teams, I now put us in that mindset; it is crucial to manage them well.
And it has become normal for us,” said the lineout and ball-carrying specialist. “Maybe Perpignan is rubbing its hands at coming to Pau now…”
Despite the surrounding noise and concerns about the massive departure of internationals, Pau is moving forward without paying too much attention to it, confident it has a deeper and more competitive squad. “I feel better than usual at this point in the season,” Choveau said.
“The team has played in many different configurations. We have more options in play, in selections and rotations.
It is very pleasant.”
