Rugby: Stade Niçois makes things difficult for itself

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The Stade Niçois drew 25-25 against Rumilly but may have regrets as they came so close to victory with an offensive bonus. Therefore, they will need to win in Haute-Savoie next Sunday to qualify for the round of 16.


“Final phase matches are very different from others,” said Gilbert Doucet. The Niçois had a bitter experience this Sunday with a very tight match from start to finish against a Rumilly team that came to exploit even the slightest errors from Nice. Qualification is not yet out of reach, but they will need to be more patient and inspired to glimpse the round of 16.

The match couldn’t have started better for Gilbert Doucet’s men. After 52 seconds of play, Viktor Maquaire executed a clever kick behind Rumilly’s defense, managed to recover the ball but was tackled just in front of the line. The referee did not hesitate and awarded a penalty try, converted by Maquaire (7-0, 1st minute). Less than five minutes later, Rumilly managed to outpace Nice’s defense and scored a corner try, converted by Oulouma (7-7, 5th minute). Maquaire’s drop goal restored the lead for Stade Niçois (10-7, 13th minute) but, throughout the match, Rumilly kept coming back and capitalizing on penalties (10-10, 15th minute then 10-13, 19th minute). At the end of the period, Nice’s pack overwhelmed the opponent and scored a collective try, converted by the fly-half (20-13, 36th minute). However, a bad move by Benjamin Commandeur was sanctioned with a yellow card and a penalty that Oulouma scored from the halfway line (20-16, 38th minute).

The visitors from Haute-Savoie returned with much different intentions and took control of the ball. A knock-on close to the line denied them a certain try, but number 10 Perrod slotted a drop goal (20-19, 43rd minute). Nice’s injured list lengthened with Derstroff leaving in the first half followed by Musso and El Ouertani. Stade Niçois upped their intensity and the forwards’ power made the difference to score a third try. Maquaire’s conversion hit the post (25-19, 55th minute). The end of the match was tense, the red and black tried but lost many balls while Rumilly accumulated penalties (25-22, 58th minute and 25-25, 73rd minute). Twice, Stade Niçois thought they had scored a fourth try, synonymous with an offensive bonus, but the referee ordered a scrum 5 meters out.

“It’s hard to explain in the heat of the moment what was missing to win. Against Vienne (last week), we were backed into a corner, and this time, there was a slight relaxation, the desire was missing. We were close to the offensive bonus, but in the end, we didn’t score. We make mistakes that cost us dearly, and each time, they come back to tie,” regretted Maël Parcheminer, Nice winger.

The stakes are clear: next Sunday, in hostile territory, the teammates of Romain Catoni will have to win, even by the slimmest margin. The learning in Fédérale 2 continues, but this team is progressing with each outing and has the means to aim higher. Initially, their focus will be on Rumilly.

Photo credit and more information at www.stadenicois.fr

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