One year after its relegation, Nissa Rugby returns to Pro D2. The Azure club defeated Mont-de-Marsan (31-26) in the access-retention playoff played this Sunday at the Arboras stadium. A victory that allows the Nice club to return to the second tier of French rugby and sends the Landes club to the National league.
Two weeks after the defeat in the National final against Narbonne (23-20), Nissa Rugby had one last opportunity to secure its ticket to Pro D2. In a packed Arboras stadium, the Nice team seized this opportunity at the end of a closely contested match against Mont-de-Marsan.
The match began at a fast pace with the first Landes try scored by Alexandre De Nardi as early as the 6th minute. The Nice response came quickly thanks to Mudariki, before Atila Septar allowed the Red and Blacks to take the lead. The two teams then traded blows until halftime, reached at the score of 21-19 in favor of Nissa Rugby.
Tyler Morgan secures promotion for Nice
The second half maintained the suspense. After a Nice penalty, Mont-de-Marsan regained the lead thanks to a converted try by Ioane Iashagachvili, 24-26, moments after a yellow card received by Clément Egiziano.
Reduced to fourteen players, the Azure team nevertheless found the necessary resources to retake the advantage. In the 73rd minute, Welsh international center Tyler Morgan concluded a long offensive sequence by scoring the decisive try. The conversion by Jean-Pascal Barraque brought the score to (31-26).
Solid defense in the final minutes then allowed Nissa Rugby to maintain its lead until the final whistle.
This victory marks an unprecedented event since the creation of the playoff between the National finalist and the 15th in Pro D2. For the first time in three editions, the club from the lower division wins and obtains promotion.
Following the match, president Jean-Baptiste Aldigé praised the work accomplished by his squad: “Today, we had built a Pro D2 team to play in the National to be able to climb up and stay if it happened. It was a difficult season because it’s still not the same rugby, not the same refereeing. The players who took the risk of joining me on the Nice project while they were playing in Top 14 and Pro D2 are rewarded for the risk they took.”
The executive also revisited the defeat in the National final: “We had all seen the final. It was a very difficult moment. We had to understand how we could have done that. And today, I’m happy because the job is done.”
Jean-Baptiste Aldigé believes that this promotion goes beyond just the Nice club: “I think we’ve just opened a glimmer of hope for new territories: Lille, Geneva, Nantes, Orleans, who tomorrow will also be able to aspire to professional rugby. It wasn’t just a match today, but also the realization of all of that.”
With this success, Nissa Rugby returns to Pro D2 one season after leaving it. Preparation for the next season in the antechamber of Top 14 can now begin.
