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Pumas veteran center Jerónimo de la Fuente captained Perpignan to an away win over Castres on Sunday. The 17-13 road victory was a big upset. The victory came after the final siren and Perpignan’s players celebrated knowing the significance of what they had pulled-off.
The win came with Tavite Veredamu scoring with the match clock two minutes into red. The unlikely win also required Perpignan to successfully defend against 5 meter attacking scrums in the final minutes. The Catalans did so to win a penalty. It was followed by another from which Perpignan were able to ultimately win.
Early on in the contest there was an excellent South American try. Uruguayan scrum-half Santiago Arata went over for a solo try. He broke the defense and showed excellent pace to get past additional defenders before diving over for Castres.
The day, though, belonged to Perpignan. de la Fuente led the team well from inside center. He was joined by fellow Puma Joaquín Oviedo who played flanker opposite former Canadian captain Tyler Ardron.
The win does not lift Perpignan out of the relegation zone but it does mean the team is now five points above Montpellier who are last.
The relegation battle often goes down to the wire in Top 14 seasons. The 2023-2024 season is thus far a case in point. This weekend saw Perpignan, Lyon, Oyonnax and Bayonne all winning. They are placed 13th to 10th in the Top 14. Oyonnax won with a strong performance from Argentine Domingo Miotti.
The next round of play will be on January 06 and 07. A feature match for the relegation equation sees Perpignan at home against Oyonnax.
