Stade Niçois triumphed this evening against Agen (31-29) after a thrilling game. They return to victory after 15 matches without a win.
For this 23rd round of Pro D2, Stade Niçois hosted US Agen, who are 14th in the standings. A bottom-of-the-table clash manageable for the players of Alexandre Compan. Despite being 20 points behind their opponents this evening, the Niçois were eager to shine in front of their home crowd.
And the start of the match proves it as Nice played proactively and relied on their forwards who advanced well in the Agen defense. A good pressure situation materialized as early as the 9th minute of play with a try at the end of the line by winger Baptiste Lafond. Agen didn’t pose much of a threat until the middle of the first half when they had a try disallowed due to a lapse of concentration, allowing the Niçois to breathe a sigh of relief.
Yet, the locals pushed forward again and thought they had doubled their lead ten minutes before the break. But this try was disallowed by the referee due to a knock-on in the previous line-out. At the end of the first half, Agen was reduced to 14 men after their second row received a yellow card for a high tackle on Niçois hooker, Sacha Idoumi. However, the visitors did not give up and scored their first try on their last action, reducing the gap to seven points with the Niçois. The halftime score was (14-7).
A second half filled with emotion
At the start of the second half, the Niçois continued their forward march and scored the third try of the game. They led (21-7) and held a good lead. But Agen hadn’t said their last word and didn’t give up. In ten minutes, the visitors scored three tries and took the lead over the Niçois, who also received a yellow card. They tried to hold on during their numerical inferiority.
But as both teams had their moments in this game, it was Nice’s turn to reignite their offensive drive. The reds and blacks regained control of the ball and scored two tries at the end of the match, including one five minutes from the end. In the ultimate suspense, Nice ended their streak of defeats and won (31-29). The Niçois showed a brave face in front of their supporters.