Whew! Malavard’s penalty goes through the posts and the first victory falls into Nice’s pocket. You didn’t want to be a cardiologist’s patient yesterday at Arboras, but in the end, Jean Anturville’s protégés emerged victorious from the confrontation with Romans.
Everything had started well in the first half with a 6-point lead on the scoreboard for the Azur team, who, although not very precise in their play, still dominated their opponent. Malavard succeeded with his kicks, and Leal even scored a drop goal, allowing the Nice team to go into the break with the job well done.
Much more intention to play in the second half and quickly materialized by a try from Leal, who converted it to give his team a 13-point lead. From that point on, the momentum shifted, and Romans attempted everything, even counter-attacking from their 22. Nice faltered, committing faults and conceding two penalties in succession and a converted try. Romans got back into the game while the Azur team was down to 14 players. Romans pushed further and in the 74th minute, Terchi took advantage of another lapse in Nice’s defense to level the score (22-22).
The specter of another draw at home loomed on the horizon, then it was Malavard’s turn, and you already know the rest…
