The Stade Niçois (1st) faced RC Suresnes (4th) on the occasion of the 20th day of the Nationale championship. This away game was an opportunity for Nice to extend their lead at the top of the standings.
Before this match, Nice was coming off a victory (23-9) against Carcassonne. On the Suresnes side, the victory against Massy gave the players a lot of confidence. This top-of-the-table clash promised to be thrilling.
After the first quarter-hour where both teams found their rhythm, RC Suresnes opened the scoring with a penalty converted (3-0) by Thomas Baudy in the 16th minute. Shortly after, Nice leveled the score thanks to a penalty by Riguet. In the 25th minute, the Nice defense conceded a try by El Bibouji, converted by Baudy, bringing the score to 10-3.
Not to be discouraged, Stade Niçois reacted directly by scoring a very nice try by Simon Delas, converted by Riguet. A perfect tie, 10 all at the half-hour mark. After a good sequence of possession, Nice retook the lead (10-13) thanks to another successful penalty by Riguet in the 35th minute. In the next action, the Nice defense was penalized again, allowing Suresnes to come back to 13 all before the break.
Too Many Mistakes
At the start of the second half, Nice began poorly, being penalized again. Baudy converted a penalty for Suresnes, who regained the lead (16-13) in the 43rd minute. As in the first half, the teams traded blows. The Niçois caught up once more with a penalty converted by Riguet (16-16) in the 50th minute. After a five-minute stoppage due to Suresnes player Marvin Woki’s injury, he was carried off on a stretcher.
Despite some good breakthroughs in the opposing defense, the Niçois were penalized too often, constantly giving the ball back to Suresnes. In the 63rd minute, the team capitalized on multiple Nice mistakes to score again with a penalty. Baudy handled the conversion (19-16). Unfortunately, a few seconds later, Nice missed the opportunity to level the score with a failed penalty. In each offensive, Stade Niçois found themselves against a very solid opposing defense.
In a tense end to the match, neither team added extra points. Stade Niçois suffered a defeat (19-16) on RC Suresnes’ field. In the standings, no change occurred, as the Azuréens retained their first place.
The next meeting is on March 2nd at home against Chambéry.
