Five points difference is not much. Two penalties within the abilities of the fly-half Boyer, a bad bounce preventing Laurent Buchet from sprinting to a try: Nice could have won. However, the victory of Rugby Club Aubenas Vals is logical. The players in white shirts dominated in the essential areas: scrum, line-out, and they managed to steal many balls on the ground. To that, you add some inaccuracies from the Côte d’Azur side, playing in yellow, an experimental half-back pairing with Tom Boyer at 10 and Jean-Pierre Rey at 9, and the absence of the playmaker Rudi Dames, not yet qualified. The repeated charges of the number eight Grégory Herrera only managed to wear down the Albenassian defense without breaking it down.
The first half is a long bout of observing. Nice has possession of the ball but comes up against the Ardé-choise defense. Through two penalties, the RNCA leads 6-0. Aubenas reacts. After a line-out on the 22 meters, the ball goes to the wing for a try by Florent Roux. 6-5 at halftime for Christophe Moni’s players. At the resumption, a twist and turning point in the match. Nice attempts to attack on the halfway line. Nicolas Pardo intercepts, runs 50 meters, and grounds the ball behind the posts. He suffers a foul in the in-goal area. Result: yellow card and penalty that Romuald Bernachon converts from the center of the field. It’s a 10-point action. 15-6: the break is made. Romuald Bernachon, undoubtedly the man of the match, adds another three points (18-6).
At the very end of the match, the yellow Côte d’Azur team, for one of the first times in the match, strings together phases of play near the Ardéchoise line. They finally manage to retain the ball without it being stolen in the rucks. The RCAV defense gives way. Emmanuel Roulier finds the gap and sneaks in to score the only try that will be converted and allow the Côte d’Azur team to earn the bonus point.
Aubenas showcased their experience. There is no doubt that the Ardéchoise team will be tough opponents for all their adversaries in this pool 3 of Fédérale 1. Pays d’Aix is currently leading, just ahead of Romans and Aubenas. The Niçois, it should be recalled, are newly promoted. They did not disgrace themselves against La Seyne and were not far off against Aubenas. With the return of injured players, and with the support of numerous fans like this Sunday, the Niçois can be confident for the future. It would be a mistake to dramatize the initial two failures. Next week, the RNCA travels to Rumilly, against a Savoyard team also coming off two defeats. The Côte d’Azur team will then face Pays d’Aix before hosting Romans in search of a first home victory.
