The logic was respected at Bourg en Bresse, which confirmed its position as the leader of Pool 2 of a Fédérale 1, from which the Nice team has just learned they will not be part of next season due to being relegated to Fédérale 3. It’s likely this difficult context that resulted in a match marred by fights, with a total of 9 cards, including 2 red cards against Nice.
However, the start of the match favored Nice with an opening score from an impeccable penalty by Malavard (0-3), enhanced by a try from Sainte-Croix that unfortunately wasn’t converted (0-8). But Bourg, as leaders, established themselves in the Azure camp after the first quarter of the game.
After a series of penalty kicks, the locals reached the promised land with a collective try, also not converted (5-8). The dominance of the Bressans materialized on the scoreboard with two new penalties from Chabaud, giving his team the lead again (11-8) before halftime.
Upon returning from the locker room, new incursions by the purple team and tit-for-tat responses between kickers of each team on penalties (17-14). However, it was Chabaud, the Bressan artilleryman, who got the better in the final moments against his Nice counterpart by landing a last penalty (20-14).
The match was nearing its end, and Nice still held their offensive bonus when a general fight broke out, resulting in two red cards against Nice for Boukanoucha and Benstaali. The result was another penalty from Chabaud for a final score of 23-14, depriving Nice of the bonus point.
It is certain that even a victory in Bressan land, which on the field did not seem so far out of reach, would not have solved a situation that appears rather poorly managed behind the scenes of the club. But if we must take something positive from this type of match, it’s that of a team that, while not managing it well, showed remarkable combativeness.
And if a miracle were still possible?
Find the Facebook page: Sauvons le Rugby Nice Côte d’Azur
