For the account of the 4th day of “Fédérale 1”, Stade Niçois wins on the field of CS Beaune 21 to 16. A fine performance by the Azurian club which climbs to 4th place.
3 wins out of 4 matches. The Stade continues its almost perfect journey in this pool 4 of “Fédérale 1”. After two trips to Macon and Chambéry, the boys went to challenge Beaune in the Dijon suburb. Just behind them in the ranking at the kickoff, the Niçois had the opportunity to widen the gap with the day’s opponents. It was done. Very well done even.
The first half was marked by numerous fouls on both sides. The halftime score is the symbol of these first 40 scrappy minutes: 6 – 6.
It was in the second half that the Stade made the difference. And it only took 2 minutes for the Niçois winger Matthieu Bonnet-Gonnet to inherit the ball and pierce the defense along the sideline. He eliminated his last opponent and grounded the ball between the posts. Try converted, 6-13 for Nice. This try had the merit of waking up both teams and we witnessed a much better match. And 7 minutes after the first Niçois try, center Julien Fritz imitated his teammate and scored the second try for the visitors. We were in the 49th minute and Nice led by 12 points, 18 to 6 and even dreamed of the offensive bonus point.
The second Niçois try totally awakened the locals who took possession of the ball and multiplied the phases of play. The Beaune pack got the upper hand over its opponent and earned a penalty which allowed them to come back to 9-18. Two minutes later, it was the Azurian defense’s turn to crack. The Beaune scrum-half played a penalty quickly and went to score his team’s first try. Only 2 points ahead for the visitors, 16 to 18.
One might have thought that this try would break the morale of David Bolgashvili’s men. But no. Quite the opposite. The Niçois would not concede another point and better yet, they added 3 points thanks to a penalty and ensured the victory.
After three consecutive away games, the Stade players bring back a favorable record. Two victories, Macon and Beaune, and one last-minute defeat last week in Chambéry. They will be able to rest before a big block of 3 matches in October. Time for 15 days of rest before hosting Villeurbanne at the Stade des Arboras.
Pierre Ferrand
