Within its lair at the Arboras, Stade Niçois once again outplayed its opponent, achieving a hard-fought victory against Aubenas (29-23), who remain at the bottom of the standings. A victory that is a welcome relief before a two-week break.
And it’s four for Stade Niçois! A week after their home victory against Massy (19-12), the red and blacks repeated their success against Aubenas, the bottom team in Nationale. Still undefeated in their Arboras stronghold, Nice takes the lead over Bressane and secures another win, continuing their magnificent season despite a laborious performance.
David Bolgashvili’s men were under pressure on this sunny afternoon. After Bressane’s victory the day before, Nice absolutely had to win to regain the top spot in the championship. The start of the match was ideal for the Niçois. After an initial offensive inside the opponent’s 22 meters, Nice scored the first try of the match following a close-range sequence (5-0, 11th minute). In front of the posts, the Niçois fly-half made it a formality (7-0). However, after this first try, the locals were caught off guard by Aubenas’ play, who quickly responded after conceding the opening and leveled the score (7-7, 16th minute).
Nice controlled the ball and led the game at the start of the match, but some inaccuracies interrupted the plays. Encouraged by the few spectators at the Stade des Arboras, Nice was more decisive. Yet another offensive in the opposite camp, followed by a magnificent breakthrough by the winger allowed the team to regain control of the match with the second Nice try (14-7, 22nd minute). Although last in the standings, the Ardèche team didn’t give up and kept the play in Nice’s half. Nice committed some fouls, but Aubenas failed to capitalize, as their fly-half missed the penalty (33rd minute). The score remained 14 to 7 for the locals. In the latter part of the first half, Stade Niçois was less vibrant, with the best attack in the championship wasting many balls, and Aubenas was only seven points behind. The last scrum of the first half was inconclusive, and the players headed to the locker rooms with Nice ahead.
Nice, struggling, managed its lead
Frustrated by a tight first half, Nice perfectly launched the heated action in the second half. With support from the forwards, the red and blacks drove the Ardèche pack down to score the third try for Nice (21-7, 48th minute).
Right after the restart, Aubenas earned a penalty after a good scrum, and their fly-half did not hesitate to secure three more points for his team (21-10, 51st minute). Points for Nice followed by points for Aubenas, with both kickers scoring three additional points for their teams (24-13, 63rd minute). Stade Niçois increased the pressure in the second half and took control of the ball in Aubenas’ half. The charges multiplied, but the locals faced a strong Ardèche defense. The red and blacks were five meters from the try line. Simon Ricquebourg, who had just come on, slipped through and crossed the line (29-13). Nice widened the gap in this match.
The leader lost focus. Despite having the match in hand, Nice experienced a lapse. Aubenas spread the play wide after a recovery and the winger dashed to score in the corner. Despite the wind, the conversion succeeded (29-20). The end of the match was suspenseful between the two teams; Aubenas aimed to create trouble for a less competitive Nice team. Despite the difference in standings, Aubenas did not falter and continued to attack. In vain. The match ended with a final penalty scored by Aubenas (29-23, 80th minute).
