There was electricity in the air tonight, and the team from Nice stood firm despite attempts to unsettle them. Facing a strong team from Narbonne, Nice secured their spot in the semi-finals after an intense, fast-paced match full of twists and turns.
From the very first minutes, the tone was set. Narbonne displayed solid defense, but Nice quickly earned their first scrum and applied pressure. The turning point came early: Narbonne’s right prop Mathéo Lalanne received a yellow card, leaving his teammates at a numerical disadvantage. A double penalty immediately exploited by the team from the Côte d’Azur, who scored the first seven points through a collective try after just five minutes of play.
Despite this setback, Narbonne didn’t yield. Fueled by a strong momentum, particularly thanks to Fifita, the team from Aude responded. Thibault Santoro narrowed the gap with a well-placed penalty, 7-3, in a match where the pace didn’t let up and both teams favored a direct and committed style of play.
But Nice accelerated. Jean-Pascal Baraque scored a spectacular try widening the gap to 12-3. The Nice attack, well orchestrated by Sarrasin, constantly put the Narbonne defense under pressure. Despite a successful third penalty by Narbonne, Williams allowed the team from Nice to maintain a comfortable lead of 17-3.
The break came when Atila Septar completed a beautiful collective move to secure the offensive bonus for Nice 24-3. At that moment, the team from the Côte d’Azur seemed to have the match in hand.
But Narbonne came back with pride. Just before halftime, the visitors reduced the score to 24-8 before the break, signaling a tense second half ahead.
A second half reignited by NarbonneÂ
As the teams returned from the locker room, Narbonne clearly showed their intentions. More aggressive and precise, the team from Aude gained ground and eventually scored a try from a maul, converted by Santoro, 24-13. The match shifted progressively.
The pressure went up another notch when, after a magnificent acceleration by Uzair Cassiem, Narbonne came within four points, 24-20. Then, through a perfectly executed move with a brilliant offload from Santoro, Jules Veyrier put them ahead 27-24. The Marcel Volot stadium held its breath.
But Nissa Rugby didn’t let up. The team from the Côte d’Azur quickly equalized at 27-27 and went on the attack again. Jean-Pascal Baraqué was decisive in averting a critical situation.
In a nerve-wracking finale, Nice regained control of the scrum and imposed an intense possession battle. Josh Tyrell and Sarazin gained precious meters against a heroic Narbonne defense. Finally, it was Uzair Cassiem, despite being at the extreme end, who found the gap and scored the game-winning try despite fierce opposition. Final score (32-27) after the final conversion attempt missed by Owen Williams.
Nissa Rugby suffered throughout much of the second half but showed character to withstand Narbonne’s comeback. A precious and well-deserved victory that propels Nice into the semi-finals.
A high-level match full of suspense, confirming Nice’s ambitions in this final phase.
