Stade Niçois suffered a heavy defeat against Valence Romans (57-34) in a historic match. With this 11th consecutive defeat, the Azuréens are edging closer to relegation to Nationale.
Absent defenses and record-breaking scores. That’s how one could summarize this nightmarish evening. At the Georges-Pompidou stadium, Stade Niçois faced Valence Romans in a crucial duel for staying in Pro D2. Even though both teams occupied the last places in the rankings, their clash resulted in an unexpected offensive festival: 13 tries and 91 points scored, a championship record.
The Niçois suffered from the start. Unable to contain the opposing attacks, they conceded four tries in less than 25 minutes. Mawalu, a true game-breaker for Drôme, made multiple decisive actions, notably serving Roux to bring the score to (28-3). Jules Gimbert, the Niçois scrum-half, kept hope alive by scoring two tries and organizing the play with remarkable efficiency. At halftime, Nice was significantly trailing (35-22), but still seemed to be in the game thanks to their offensive realism.
A second half without response
The return from the locker room quickly sealed the fate of the match. Valence Romans, led by an unplayable Mawalu, continued to break through the Niçois defense, even though outnumbered several times. Despite well-constructed phases of play and tries from Delas and Martinez, the Azuréens left too many gaps, allowing their opponents to secure their first offensive bonus of the season.
The intensity dropped towards the end of the match, but Valence Romans had the last word with another try by Mawalu (75th minute). With this victory (57-34), the Damiers remain in the play-off spots, but Stade Niçois sees its prospects of staying in Pro D2 dangerously slip away, trailing 14 points behind their competitors.
A dark future for Nice
The Azuréens, last in the standings, seem resigned after this 11th consecutive defeat. While their attack has shown improvement, their defense remains a major issue. “We must react quickly, otherwise it will be too late,” admitted Jules Gimbert after the match.
As relegation to Nationale looms, Nice will need to refocus to save a season that already seems compromised. Hosting Aurillac in two weeks might already signal the end of Stade Niçois’ ambitions in Pro D2.