Nice held Limoges at bay for one half, before succumbing to Limoges’ dominance this Sunday at Beaublanc Stadium (6-28). The feat did not happen. And Nice stops at the stage of the 1/8th finals of the French Fédérale 1 Championship.
The goal of qualifying in the top 16 having been achieved, the aim, during this final phase, approached with many injuries (notably the front-row Guarese, Gaona, and Mc Kie), with a major suspension (the prop Dahbi), was to rise to the level of Limoges, one of the favorites for promotion.
This was the case in the first leg, despite many missed opportunities. It was also the case at the start of the match this Sunday. The start was excellent from RNCA. The team even reached the half-hour mark on par with their opponent (6-6, following two penalties by Malavard).
However, two incidents changed the game: the injuries of Nice captain David Penalva and winger Arnaud Mathet. Just before halftime, Limoges scored a try that made the difference.
After returning from the break with a seven-point lead (6-13), Benetton’s players let Manu Boutet’s protégés come at them. Being denser in scrums and effective in lineouts, Limoges controlled the second half of the match.
Following a second yellow card for Moxham – both teams ended with 14 players each – Limoges eased through and scored two more tries to win the match (28-6) and secure a place in the quarter-finals.
This match against a professional club allowed Marc-André Domergue and Manu Boutet’s RNCA to assess the path they still need to travel to reach the level of the best teams by next season. The two men are working tirelessly towards this goal.
The Nice team in Limoges:
Canizares, Faurois, Uipa Sua (Kaikelikofe, 60) – Penalva (Derrstroff, 20), Boukanoucha – Espagno (Sainte Croix, 60), Moxham, Ormea (Mezencev, 70) – Delmonte (Guerre, 66), Mc Hugh (Benstaali, 57) – Mathet (Dramé, 30), Keil, Kacharava, Lapierre – Malavard
