Stade Niçois traveled this Saturday afternoon to Bourgoin-Jallieu, a very challenging match in prospect.
The mission promised to be difficult for the protégés of David Bolgashvili and Martin Jagr. Second in the standings, Stade Niçois traveled to Bourgoin-Jallieu’s pitch (7th). No team has won this season at Stade Pierre-Rajon. The Azuréens were therefore eager to break the curse in order to maintain their current good momentum.
The starting XV for this match against @CSBJ_Officiel #IssaNissa #StadeNiçois pic.twitter.com/IkxIc7mMtI
— Stade Niçois Rugby (@stadenicois) March 6, 2021
The Failure of the Nice Kickers in the First Half
The start of the match was clearly in favor of the locals. The Nice tighthead prop, Jeronimo Negrotto, was penalized for not leaving the ruck zone quickly enough. From 35m straight in front of the posts, Nicolas Cachet gave Bourgoin-Jallieu the lead (3-0, 6th minute). But Nice responded immediately. After a long action, Matthew James equalized with a penalty 10m in front of the posts (3-3, 10th minute). The two teams exchanged blows. The Isérois benefited from a penalty in the scrum. From 25m on the right side, Cachet allowed the Berjalliens to take the lead (6-3, 17th minute). In a tight duel, the Niçois couldn’t score. James missed two penalties.
Worse yet, the Azuréen fullback, Rémy Defives, received a yellow card for a high tackle. Without producing much play, the Niçois showed solidity, but they still couldn’t score. James experienced a third miss from 30m off to the right side. The Berjalliens took advantage of this to widen the gap, thanks to the success of Cachet (9-3, 37th minute). Coming into the game, the new Nice recruit, Julien Caminati, tried his luck with a penalty from 45m in front of the posts. But it went wide of the posts again… Just before halftime, Nice had another opportunity. From 22m slightly to the left side, James found the target again (9-6). Nice trailed at the break in part due to the 12 points missed on goal.
Mapoe Frees Stade Niçois
Nice came back with very good intentions in the second half. However, they had great difficulty breaking through the Berjallienne defense. Benefiting from a penalty on the 22m, the Azuréens made a bold choice. They decided to go for the penalty touch. The choice proved successful. After several phases of play, the South African Lionel Mapoe managed to power through the line (9-13, 57th minute). Nice continued to press in the second half. The forwards worked hard, and the substitutes brought a lot. The third-line player Jonathan Mace scored the second try for his team after another driving maul (9-20, 61st minute). Nice soared on the scoreboard.
Bourgoin-Jallieu tried everything they could in the last twenty minutes. From a Cachet break, the Berjallien winger Elie De Fleurian was perfectly placed to score his team’s first try (14-20, 79th minute). In the final seconds of the match, the Azuréenne defense was unyielding. Without being particularly brilliant, Stade Niçois showed solidity. The protégés of David Bolgashvili and Martin Jagr stayed on the right track, and the referee blew the final whistle on this Nice victory (14-20). With this magnificent win, Stade Niçois accomplished a superb financial operation and retook their position as leader of Nationale! Next weekend, the Azuréens will host their runner-up, Bourg-en-Bresse.
