This Sunday, the players from Stade Niçois defeated the team from La Seyne-sur-Mer (22-10) in a match without much flair. The main thing is the victory; the Azurians are now 2nd, behind Dijon.
Three small tries to one, and that’s it. It is often said in sports that “the main thing is the victory.” Well, this phrase perfectly describes yesterday’s match at Stade des Arboras. “Only” three tries were scored by the Niçois: winger Bonnet-Gonnet, hooker Morel, and fly-half Romain each touched down in the opponent’s in-goal area. For a span of 7 minutes, captain Jeremy Malavard’s teammates even secured the offensive bonus before former Niçois and current scrum-half of the Var club, Sonetti, deprived his old club of the bonus point.
A flavorless first half
Accustomed to a show, used to seeing gameplay, the supporters of Stade des Arboras had a complicated afternoon. Yet, all the conditions were there for good rugby: bright sunshine, pleasant temperature, and a Côte d’Azur derby. Both teams took time to get into the game, and they never really got fully into it. Numerous forward passes and fouls disrupted the play. It took until the 21st minute for the first points to be scored, with a try from winger Bonnet-Gonnet capping a multi-phase play (5-0). Just before the break and following a lineout 5m from the visitors’ in-goal, Niçois hooker Morel crossed the line, giving his team some breathing space (12-3).
Nice ensures the essentials
The second half remained rather dull. The game was still disrupted by numerous handling errors from both teams. Fullback Romain thought he had secured the offensive bonus point for his team (19-3) before seeing the Seynois come back with 20 minutes left (22-10). David Bolghashvili’s men tried to regain the bonus point but to no avail. Nice won 22 to 10 and remains in second place, one point behind Dijon.
