In the world of rugby, people still remember the Nice-Graulhet games played at the Méarelli stadium, and some of the players from previous encounters were present in the Arboras stands. Thus, one could run into Jeannot Mery, still comfortable on the wings, Roger Charpentier and Alain Sudre in the pack core, and Tony Catoni hosting as one of the trainers of the rugby club’s school.
The match could therefore start with the Niçois debuting a new black jersey with yellow trimmings and who, likely trying to perform too perfectly, got caught by the referee for dives that were as unnecessary as they were reprehensible. This allowed Gratton, the Graulhet opening scrum half, to logically open the score with a penalty. The match was underway, and the Niçois pack was handling the regroupings better, allowing the promising back line to attempt some intrusions into the opponent’s 22-meter area. On one of these, the Niçois number 10, Josselin Lapierre, neatly inserted himself into the Graulhet defense to serve Mège, who launched Pierre Alain Nègre Gauthier into the promised land, leaving his teammate, Julien Caminati, in a good position to convert. 7-3, “The flies have changed donkeys,” Pierre Salviac might have said, and the unlucky Gratton even missed a great penalty opportunity from about thirty yards out. The play was scrappy again, and the new rules in effect didn’t allow much beautiful play, especially as penalties were once again raining in the Niçois camp. This time, Gratton didn’t miss his chance and reduced the score with a penalty (7-6).
As if to complicate things a bit, the Côte d’Azur team quickly found themselves playing thirteen against fifteen with the temporary exclusions of Dean Moxham and Stuart Mackie. Caminati missed his penalty attempt, and the narrow gap continued to separate the two teams. Thirty minutes into play, the Niçois launched another attack with a placed kick by Lapierre that found Nègre-Gauthier, who plowed into the Graulhet defense to perfectly serve Julien Caminati, who scored for the second time behind the try line. The same Caminati missed the conversion, and Nice widened the lead (12-6). A few minutes from halftime, the Niçois had done the essentials with two scores and a game more composed than that of their opponents of the day. Despite this, Graulhet, reduced to 14, did not surrender and, following a fine forward pack phase, was awarded a collective try in first-half stoppage time. Missed conversion and the referee’s whistle returned the two teams to the locker rooms with the score at 12-11. Just enough time to hit the club house for a skewer and a beer to replay this first half, and the 30 players of this first day returned to the Arboras pitch.
Just a tiny point separated the two teams, and each one tried more to prevent its opponents from scoring than to construct play. Certainly, the playing conditions, made difficult by the thunderstorms of the night and early morning, did not help in constructing good play, and the excessive use of kicking by both sides did not make for the most entertaining spectacle. Despite this, the Niçois showed determination, and we witnessed a hinge with strong potential and a sharp Julien Caminati who would hand over the kicker role to Grégory Chambon during the match.
The Niçois scrum half’s first attempt was unsuccessful, but the second succeeded at the hour mark, giving the locals a four-point lead (15-11). The countdown was thus initiated, and the two other penalty attempts by Grégory Chambon would not increase the gap that the Niçois maintained until the end of the long added minutes, resulting in a victory for the Niçois who take third place provisionally in the Pool 4 standings behind Carqueiranne Hyères, who defeated Marseille Vitrolles (34-19), and Lavaur, who defeated ES Catalane (18-6). The first battle is won for the Niçois XV, and there is a victory at the end of it, but the war of the Federal 1 is far from over, and they will have to keep refining their efforts to dream of bonuses at home and victories away.
Match Highlights:
- A bad day for Dean Moxham who received a white card and risks losing a good part of the season due to a dislocation and fracture in his ankle.
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The Junior Crabos team won away at Villeurbanne with a score of 19-10. A great victory before welcoming their Var neighbors from La Valette.
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The Niçois reserve team, reinforced by juniors, was defeated by their Graulhet counterparts: 15-28.
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A new sound system was installed with the participation of a DJ who, like in ice hockey, punctuated game actions with musical singles ranging from Rocky III to Star Wars.
