Pro D2: Nissa Rugby loses the South derby against Provence Rugby

There was no upset for the Nice players. In a match wide open from start to finish, Nissa Rugby falls to its neighbor Provence Rugby (24-34). Despite good performances throughout the match, the challenge was too high for the Maralpins who suffer another home defeat.

It was a fixture with diametrically opposed dynamics that took place on the Marcel Volot pitch this Friday evening for the 7th round of Pro D2. On one side, Provence Rugby approached this derby as the championship runner-up, 2nd in the standings, buoyed by an impressive streak of six consecutive wins and with the status of a favorite poised for the top of the table. On the other hand, Nissa Rugby was stuck in the bottom half, 11th before the match, and absolutely had to put on a good performance in front of their home crowd to try to build on a precious victory achieved against Nevers (32-17) last week.

Difficult start

Nissa Rugby arrived extremely weakened at kick-off, with no fewer than 21 players unavailable. But it was Nice players who did not throw in the towel, valiant and courageous, who set the tone for this match. Enterprising and in control of the ball during the first five minutes, the Nice players gave reasons to believe in success. These hopes were not long in facing the realism of the visitors. The azure defense gave way for the first time in the 8th minute after a scrum in their ten-meter area. A perfect switch to the touchline allowed Joris Cazenave to give the advantage to the Provence side, converted by Thomas Salles (0-7).

Under pressure, Nissa Rugby took another blow five minutes later on an intercepted pass in midfield, finished by a 50-meter run by Kaveinga Finau who doubles the score. Though they avoided the worst in the 17th minute thanks to a ball narrowly missing touch, the home team finally found a glimmer of hope in the 22nd minute. A perfect lineout and a sequence of passes in the opposition’s 22-meter zone allowed Enzo Labadie to break through the Provence defense, 5-14. Unfortunately for Nice, this resurgence was not enough to stop the Provence Rugby momentum, who took advantage of Nice indiscipline to score two penalties in quick succession and extend their lead. 5-20 before the half-hour mark. Despite a rather interesting end to the first half that gave some thrills to the Marcel Volot crowd, the score remained unchanged.

Better but not enough

On returning from the dressing room, the scenario seemed to worsen when Thomas Salles capitalized on another local foul with a penalty. But far from giving up, Nissa Rugby showed a remarkable reaction of pride. Taking advantage of numerical superiority, the red and blacks relaunched the match thanks to a try by Léo Chauvin, converted by young Flavio Asquini, who came on after Jean-Pascal Barraque was replaced due to injury. On a roll, the Azure players set the Marcel-Volot Stadium ablaze. In the 50th minute, Clément Egiziano came to score the third Nice try, also converted by Flavio Asquini, bringing his team to just four points behind (19-23).

As the crowd began to dream of an upset, the Provence reaction was immediate. Three minutes later, Tyler Ardon cooled the stands with the third try for the Pro D2 runner-up. A heavy blow that did not dampen the Nice determination with fifteen minutes to go, Evan Olmstead crossed the line in turn to bring his side to 24-28. Unfortunately for the home team, the dream would end there. Two penalties scored in the final ten minutes would seal the score. 24-34 on the final scoreboard.

“An encouraging defeat“

Despite the defeat on his home ground, Jean-Baptiste Aldigé, President of Nissa Rugby, primarily retained the unwavering commitment of his men against one of the championship’s top teams “It’s an encouraging defeat. The squad learned and progressed much more in their development this evening than during our previous victories. We were able to put energy in for 80 minutes, to play connected and for each other.”

Well aware of the crucial upcoming matches against direct rivals, the Azure president wants to build on this conquering performance for the rest of the season. “If the guys put the same energy regularly across all the matches, this team will win many.”

With this latest defeat, the red and blacks record their second home defeat and remain in the bottom half of the standings. Next match to bounce back against Agen next Friday. Kick-off at 19:30.