Defeated by Lavaur in the first leg, the team from Nice has not started well in the Challenge Du Manoir, which was supposed to serve as a consolation after a great season spoiled by administrative problems that cost the club 10 penalty points and excluded them from the race for qualification for promotion to Pro D2.
Next Sunday at Arboras, they will need to perform a feat to avoid ending the season in disappointment: they need to beat the team from Tarn by more than 12 points.
Given the first leg, Lavaur still has every chance to come through!
The locals decided to inject a lot of speed and aggression right from the start of the match. They start the game against the wind, playing and taking the initiative.
Just 4 minutes in, with a kick, the Nice fullback is under pressure from Norkowski, drops the ball that opportunistic Nicolas Clergue takes advantage of to gather and touch down. Nice continues to endure the locals’ rapid sequences and is even struggling in the scrum. A very well-started action by the trio Rapp, Norkowski, Queheille strains the Nice defense in difficulty on the left side, the action continues, followed by Hecker, and concluded by Lasme who reaches the try line in the right corner.
Nice has not shown anything yet in a very intense match. It is at the half-hour mark on their first well-executed incursion into the 22 that they become effective and score a try that revives them. Although the play has balanced, Lavaur is still showing danger and showcases its strengths: Gilen Queheille, the local scrum-half, displays his agility and with dual acceleration overcomes all Nice’s resistance for a remarkable personal try which is his trademark, allowing the locals to lead 17 to 8 at halftime.
Although Nice will show more pressure at the start of the second half, it’s again the team from Tarn that proves effective with another feat from Gilen Queheille who, quickly playing a penalty, makes his way to score. Adding 2 penalties afterward, the local scrum-half allows Lavaur to lead 30 to 8 with the offensive bonus secured.
Shaken in line-outs, worn out by the brisk first 50 minutes, the XV of Jacquemart cannot sustain the same intensity, and Nice logically comes back with a try that removes the offensive bonus from the locals. The last 10 minutes will be very tough for the team from Tarn who endure a lot and will yield again at the end of the match.
The match concludes with Lavaur’s 12-point advantage, leaving the return match in Nice wide open. The team from the Azure Coast has been warned and will have the advantage of hosting for this exciting second leg.
R.Sch
