Yesterday, Stade Niçois defeated Rugby Olympique de Grasse 20 to 13 in a match marked more by brutality than by quality of play. The red and blacks move up to third place in the rankings of pool 4 of Fédérale 1.
7 cards in total.
The derby between Nice and Grasse was no easy task for the referees. Bad gestures succeeded one another on the pitch of Stade des Arboras. Tension was present from the first contacts between the two teams, especially among the 5 Nice players who previously donned the colors of the Grasse club.
This tension gradually turned into aggressiveness and even brutality after a few friendly exchanges. Everything was fine until halftime. But at the start of the second half, hostilities began.
In 33 minutes, 3 red cards were issued. Two for Nice, the prop Koberidze and the second-row Chkhaidze. On the Grasse side, it was the captain Cazeaux who received a red card. Numerous fouls were committed, disrupting the game. 4 yellow cards were also handed out by the referee. Before receiving his red card, the Georgian prop from Nice, Koberidze, saw yellow. But the visitors were much more undisciplined. The hooker Devic, the fly-half Houbianne, and the center Burdvier each left the field for 10 minutes.
A rather pale performance
While there was plenty of brutality, rugby was somewhat lacking. The Nice team struggled to develop their characteristic offensive play, due to a rather ineffective conquest. The visiting line-out consistently disrupted the stadists’ throws. The scrum was too inconsistent to produce good balls. The locals still managed to score 2 tries by center Julien Fritz.
The Rugby Olympique Grassois players closed the gap thanks to a fine try by winger Grigolo following a good line-out throw. Nothing else to report for the many supporters who came to cheer on both teams at Stade des Arboras. Tension overshadowed the game. The locals took advantage of penalties from their home kicker, Sylvain Romain, to definitively distance themselves.
A lackluster 20-13 victory but an important win for Stade Niçois, which moves into 3rd place with one game in hand.
Pierre Ferrand
