Stade Niçois nearly pulled off a feat during the 10th day of the Pro D2 against the leader Montauban. The Niçois leave with the defensive bonus point but may have some regrets after delivering a fine performance.
The clash of extremes. This is what the 10th day of Pro D2 promised between the leader Montauban and the joint last-place team, Nice. Strong favorites, the Montauban players didn’t expect to face such a match this evening against a team lacking confidence these past two weeks.
Yet from the kickoff, Alexandre Compan’s players showed initiative. Fly-half Tanguy Ménoret, accurate with his kicking, scored 11 points during the first half. But it was mainly the Niçois’ offensive efficiency that surprised. In the 13th minute, Jules Solinas scored the first try of the game, evading the Occitan defense with a clever dummy, symbolizing this determination from the Côte d’Azur.
Facing this intensity, the Montauban team struggled to organize themselves, multiplying inaccuracies in the lineout. However, the temporary exclusion of Tom Murday on the Niçois side (26′) allowed the leader to regain their footing. Sikhumbuzo Notshe and Simon Renda scored two tries in quick succession. But just before halftime, Nice regained the lead with an unconverted try by Simon Delas (39′).
A tight contest until the end despite the errors
Returning from the break, Montauban came back with better intentions. Taking advantage of a yellow card against Pierre Strippoli (41′), the home team scored quickly with a try by Josua Vici (43′) from a rolling maul. However, despite this lead, repeated lineout errors continued to hinder Montauban, allowing the Niçois to stay in the match.
Tanguy Ménoret, who scored a total of 20 points, allowed his team to take a three-point lead with a few minutes remaining. But Montauban’s response was immediate. Simon Renda would score a match-saving double (76′), sealing the game’s fate. Final score (34-30) in favor of US Montauban.
Despite this defeat, Nice leaves with the defensive bonus, evidence of continuous progress. Currently 15th, Stade Niçois hopes to capitalize on this momentum to climb up the rankings. Next week, they will host Brive, while Montauban will travel to Agen.
