The expression “a good start heralds a good and beautiful day” cannot be applied to the 2011-2012 season of Rugby Nice! After a turbulent summer with a change in the coaching staff just days before the first match and two away games resulting in two defeats, the first exhibition of the Nice team at their Arboras stadium was eagerly awaited by oval ball enthusiasts seeking answers: will the 2011-12 vintage be of superior quality to fulfill the ambitions announced by the club’s new boss, Mr. Deffins?
Result: a draw (16-16) against an adversary, Châteaurenard, who is not one of the star teams expected in the group—a more than mediocre performance, a team sorely lacking in scale and technical quality.
A good vintage, you say? For now, we are only being served table wine!
In short, a lot of work awaits coach Jean Anturville and his staff to give the local XV an acceptable look, lacking the ability to compete with the big teams in the group, such as Montauban and Bourg-en-Bresse.
Otherwise, farewell to promotion ambitions!
An unsatisfactory outcome if we consider that the first 20 minutes of the match were in favor of the Nice team (Feldis scored a try with a conversion), which had led one to imagine a very different outcome.
But, little by little, a lack of clarity set in due to a physical condition still far from an acceptable standard, gameplay choices with no logic, inexplicable technical faults at this level, and a progressive confusion among the Nice team. This allowed the Provencals (valiant, if not brilliant) to stay in the match and eventually secure a deserved draw with a penalty kick in stoppage time. Nice was unable to manage a comfortable lead (16-7) twenty minutes before the final whistle.
Final assessment: a 5-point match that only gives 2 in the standings, a team that must ask a lot of questions about its lack of grip, and individuals who may not meet the level required by this competition level.
Moral: a script that needs to be reviewed and corrected but already presents some worrying gaps.
RNCA- Châteaurenard 16-16 (13-7)
For Nice: 1 try by Feldis, a conversion and a penalty by Leal, two penalties by A. Malavard
