Castres fall short at Bordeaux-Begles in first game since Raisuqe death
Castres lost 34-29 at Bordeaux-Begles in the French Top 14 on Saturday as the visitors returned to action following the tragic death of Fijian Josaia Raisuqe.
Raisuqe, who turned 30 in July, was killed on May 8 after being hit by a train while driving to training and his mother was present at Stade Chaban-Delmas to watch the game.
Following the match, players from both sides came together for an emotional on-field rendition of the gospel song "We Shall Overcome" -- synonymous with Fijian rugby -- with Raisque's mum in tears.
Raisuqe's team-mate and compatriot Leone Nakarawa was also overcome by emotion as the whole stadium rose to applaud the singing.
The hosts, who are preparing for next weekend's Champions Cup final against Northampton, stay second in the table with two rounds of the season to play.
Castres are fifth and strengthened their claim for a place in the play-offs with a bonus point thanks to Jeremy Fernandez's late penalty.
Pre-game, Bordeaux-Begles fans unfurled a banner saying 'Rest in Peace Josaia', illustrating the impact the Olympic silver medallist's death has had on the sport in France.
The away side, five-time French champions, started the game the better, racing into a 14-0 lead after 17 minutes which included a superb finish from Uruguay scrum-half Santiago Arata.
The half-back celebrated his try by looking up to the sky in reference to the passing of Raisuqe, who had become a popular member of the Castres squad since his arrival in 2021.
The home team took control of the fixture before half-time however, scoring five tries to make it 29-14.
The pick of them came just before the half-hour mark from fly-half Matthieu Jalibert, who also set-up half-back partner Maxime Lucu seven minutes earlier.
Castres came back into the match thanks to two second-half touchdowns but were unable to find the crucial try late on.
Later, Raisuqe's first club in France, 13th-placed Stade Francais, host Lyon in an encounter crucial to the league's three-way relegation scrap.
Bottom-side Vannes head to Bayonne and Perpignan, in 12th, are at Clermont.
Champions Toulouse entertain Racing 92 in the final game of the day.
On Sunday, Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle face Montpellier in the hunt for the play-offs with the former Ireland fly-half in the midst of a five-week suspension.
Last week, O'Gara refused to leave the team bus for the start of the win at Vannes in protest against his ban for his behaviour towards a match official in January's loss at Toulon.
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Los Angeles Times
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In 2000, whispers of a 13-year-old phenom from Naperville, Ill. — a Chicago suburb — began reverberating through the AAU circuit. Generational. Dominant. Striking. Perhaps the greatest women's basketball prospect ever. Candace Parker's name rang out far beyond her hometown. Word soon reached every elite college basketball program in the country — from Durham, N.C., to College Park, Md., to Knoxville, Tenn. — each clamoring for her talents. Few truly stood a chance. 'Her game at such an early age was something I had never seen in person,' said Nikki Fargas, then an assistant coach at Tennessee. 'To see her do it so young tells you a lot. … She was undeniable, and her presence was felt.' Long before Parker's illustrious professional career and her Sparks jersey retirement ceremony Sunday — three championships, two MVPs, rookie of the year, defensive player of the year, Finals MVP, two Olympic golds, seven All-Star nods and 10 All-WNBA selections — she was simply 'Ace,' a sweatband-wearing, bob-cut sporting teenager set to graduate. Fargas, who won a national title under legendary coach Pat Summitt, was Tennessee's recruiting director in 2003 and was looking to make a splash with her first class. The moment she saw Parker in person, she was certain: Parker would be a Lady Vol. By her senior year in high school, Parker had grown into a 6-foot-4 national player of the year and state champion. Fargas attended all of Parker's games at Naperville Central High, a nearly 1,100-mile round trip. She sat in the Redhawks' gym bleachers, decked out in Tennessee orange while sending a not-so-subtle message, often with Summitt by her side. Fargas made her final pitch clear and direct: Parker could become the greatest under Summitt. On Nov. 11, 2003, at the start of her senior year, Parker committed to Tennessee live on ESPNews — the first women's basketball player to commit on national TV. Parker later told ESPN, 'I wanted to be a professional basketball player. I loved that Knoxville was centered around women's basketball.' 'Candace is the most versatile 6-foot-3 player at this stage of her game that I've ever seen,' Summitt said in a Tennessee news release announcing Parker's signing a letter of intent. 'She can play every position on the floor, from point guard to post, … Truly a great inside-outside player. … The total package.' Parker's arrival sent a jolt through Rocky Top. At just 18, she brought weighty expectations — it was championship or bust. For several years, it had been bust for Tennessee, which hadn't won a national title since the late '90s. After missing her freshman year because of a knee injury, Parker proved to be better than advertised, propelling the Lady Vols back onto the national stage. 'Even in college, not only did she dunk, but she was able to pass, able to shoot at her position, able to do things that bigs weren't doing,' said Noelle Quinn, a former Southland prep star and head coach of the Seattle Storm. 'It was easy for Candace. It was easy for that team.' Quinn experienced the Summitt-Parker era firsthand. In 2006, she led UCLA into an early-season clash on the road against No. 1 Tennessee — the start of Parker's first title run. 'It was an amazing environment to play in — a game I'll never forget,' Quinn recalled. Parker and Quinn led their teams in scoring — Parker with 22 points, Quinn with 20. Tennessee's dominance with Parker at the helm was clear, Quinn said. At the height of the team's back-to-back championship runs, Fargas said traveling with the Lady Vols 'was like traveling with rock stars.' Summitt's fearless approach — taking on anyone, anywhere — kept Tennessee in the spotlight, with Parker as the undisputed headliner. 'What we're seeing right now with Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark — bringing awareness, getting people to watch and increasing attendance — Parker was doing that already,' Fargas said. 'Fans would be lined up at our hotel. Our bus would pull up and there were the fans.' By the end of her college career, Parker had accomplished everything — two-time AP player of the year, 2008 Naismith college player of the year, and most outstanding player during both national title runs — the last of which was Summitt's final championship. 'She fits in at the top,' Fargas said of Parker's place in program history. 'When you talk about Lady Vols, Parker is maybe the first of the names people talk about. … She was different.' Parker was arguably the WNBA's most anticipated prospect — a franchise-altering talent. Yet one question loomed: Who would land her? In 2006, the Sparks were in championship contention, reaching the conference finals with MVP Lisa Leslie. But when Leslie missed the following season on maternity leave, the team plummeted to 10–24 — tied for worst in the league. With a 34.1% chance at the No. 1 pick, the pingpong balls bounced the Sparks' way. Questions swirled about how Parker and Leslie would coexist. Leslie says she never saw a problem — only potential. She called herself 'Smooth' and Parker 'Silk,' and welcomed the role of hardening the rookie, likening it to 'having another baby.' For a time, Leslie lived a few floors from Parker in the team's player housing, keeping tabs on Parker's habits. She'd make her oatmeal and slice up fruit because Parker 'wouldn't eat well,' gently pushing through rookie stubbornness toward authority, nudging her toward the weight room and stressing the importance of body maintenance. The wisdom of one MVP — and the freedom granted by Sparks coach Michael Cooper — helped ignite the greatest rookie season in WNBA history. Parker captured both rookie of the year and MVP honors, joining an exclusive club with NBA legends Wilt Chamberlain and Wes Unseld. 'Candace always showed greatness,' Leslie said. 'Each generation, we've done our part. You carry that torch as far as you can, and hand it off with grace.' The torch was Parker's to bear into the next decade. But nine seasons in, she was still chasing her first Finals appearance, let alone a championship. Years of coaching changes, early playoff exits and unmet expectations had left the franchise — and its star — without a title. Brian Agler's first year as Sparks head coach started rocky with a 3–14 record, as Parker sat out the first half of the 2015 season after playing overseas. As the losses mounted, Parker prepared for a return and called Agler to arrange a closed workout. 'I think she wanted to play into me as, 'OK, I'm gonna come back and get ready,'' Agler said. 'But in reality, she was sort of measuring me up.' Agler believed it was a test to see whether she thought he was the right fit — if he could lead the team to a championship, just as he had done with the Seattle Storm in 2010. By the following season, with the pieces in play, contending for a championship seemed within reach. But the 2016 season wasn't without turmoil for Parker. She was surprisingly left off the USA Olympic team, faced marital strife and mourned the loss of Summitt, who died of complications from Alzheimer's. On the court, Parker remained a force, and helped foster the rise of one of the league's best — former No. 1 overall pick and MVP Nneka Ogwumike. Like Leslie had done for her, Parker took Ogwumike under her wing. 'For the most part, I was someone who paid attention to what vets did, and I spent a lot of time watching what she did,' Ogwumike said of Parker. 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