A week after suffering their second defeat of the season in National 1, Nissa Rugby faced the Francilians from Suresnes. The team from Nice made a strong comeback.
Temporarily stripped of the National 1 leadership by Albi yesterday, Nissa Rugby needed to respond. A week after the defeat in Rouen, the Azuréens hosted RC Suresnes. An underperforming team since late September, but one Gareth Baber’s men needed to be wary of.
The Nice team quickly gained the upper hand in the match. Full-back David Odiete scored the first try of the game after just three minutes. Kicker for the afternoon, replacing Owen Williams who was on the bench, Jean-Pascal Barraque converted and put Nissa Rugby ahead (7-0). The Francilians responded, capitalizing on Nice’s indiscipline. Fly-half Harry Glynn seized the opportunity to bring his team within four points. Suresnes went on to take the lead by scoring a try through center three-quarter Victor Barnier. Although the home kicker missed the conversion, the visitors led (7-8) after just over fifteen minutes of play. It was a short-lived satisfaction for the men in green, as Jean-Pascal Barraque scored a penalty for Nice (10-8).
However, discipline was to be the key to this match, and Nice learned this the hard way. Just before the half-hour mark, the Maralpins were penalized once more, gifting three points to Harry Glynn (10-11), and found themselves with a numerical disadvantage. Nissa Rugby managed well during this challenging period, avoiding conceding any points, and even secured a penalty upon returning to full strength just before half-time. With an impeccable display, Jean-Pascal Barraque remained composed and helped Nice go into the break leading (13–11).
Nissa Rugby picks up the pace in the second half
As the teams returned from the break, the Nice coach made some adjustments, and it paid off. Suresnes was penalized, leading to their own numerical disadvantage. Nissa Rugby added three points to create some distance in what was a tense match. Both teams continued with their strategies, and the match tempo slowed a bit. Nice maintained their five-point lead and once again put pressure on the Ile-de-France players shortly after the hour mark. Another yellow card turned the tide in favor of the team from Nice. Bastien Bérenguel, who had already scored twice against Chambéry two weeks prior, made his mark again. Nice broke away despite the missed conversion (21-11). The crowd at Marcel-Volot relaxed and even had a chance to celebrate a few minutes later when winger Inoke Kurukuruvakatini scored a third try for Nissa Rugby. Although the conversion missed again, the main points were secured.
Nice returns to winning ways (26-11) and regains the top spot in the National 1 championship, with a two-point lead over Narbonne, their closest rival. Nissa Rugby’s next match is in two weeks against US Bressane. The match is scheduled to kick off on Friday, October 31st, at 7:30 PM.
