We can’t choose between these two mind-blowing moments to tell you about the “Ambadiang effect” on the match between Castres Olympique and Racing this Saturday. Of course, Christian Ambadiang, a winger who came from Nevers in the off-season, gave the victory to CO on the last action (we’ll come back to that), while Racing had come back from a twelve-point deficit to take the lead two minutes from the end (26-28 at that time), but there was something even more striking from him in this match. A defensive comeback that set the Pierre-Fabre stadium alight.
It was the 43rd minute of this match and while a Castres attack could have sent Rémy Baget to the test, the Parisian full-back Max Spring intercepted the ball on the last pass and sprinted 90 metres. No one was going to catch him and Racing would then take an eight-point lead and a psychological advantage. But it was quite the opposite that happened. A bomb named Christian Ambadiang came back across like a 100-metre runner. “I’d like to see the GPS how fast he was”, his manager Jeremy Davidson whispered after the match.
A “board” tackle
Thrown like a bullet, he inflicted a “board” tackle on Spring who, not only dropped the ball on the spot, landing with losses and crashes on the pitch, but then left before arriving at the press conference with his arm in a sling. “I see him coming because he comes quite fast! I believe in my legs… but I’m five meters short,” admitted the unfortunate fullback, who did not know, just like his team, that this gesture would change everything afterwards. “It’s not just catching him that’s important,” added Davidson. “But taking the ball away from him was incredible.”
Ambadiang even found the resources to recover the oval and restart, in front of a stunned but also overheated public. Racing had just let its chance to kill the match slip and was going to concede a 13-0 which put it on the ropes. “It’s the turning point of the match”, confided the center Adrien Séguret. “It does good in the minds of the players at home and they take a blow at that moment.” Ambadiang, according to him, perfectly embraced the Castres spirit: “What I like about this club is that they have a fighting spirit. I did all that for them, for my teammates. You have to give 100%. At first I thought he was going to score…”
Less than ten minutes later, he was able to leave to a standing ovation from the Castres supporters… but his afternoon was not over. Because the comfortable cushion of the Castres had melted and from the bench, the winger had seen Racing pass in front two minutes from the end of the match (26-28, after two tries by Chavancy and Baudonne). At 14 after a yellow card given to Lebrun, Dumora injured and Goodhue (excellent on the match) on one leg, Christian Ambadiang made his return for the last moments of the match…
“A match that I dedicate to my grandmother”
And his team played the shot wonderfully. A short return, Ardron who comes to steal the ball from the “sky and white” forwards and the Castres miracle was underway. Botitu takes the tangent on the right side of a curve of which he has the secret before delivering a decisive pass in the direction of the new darling of the Pierre Fabre stadium, who on the ball reception had already escaped Tuisova. “In a few seconds I told myself that we just had to get to the in-goal area.” It didn’t take more for the Ambadiang dragster.
A lightning acceleration, a victorious dive and the stadium capsized, like the scoreboard (31-28). Pampered by his teammates all around him, the hero cracked the armor and burst into tears: “It’s not just this match that gave me emotion. I thank the team because it was personal. It’s a match that I dedicate to my grandmother that I lost. And it’s thanks to the team that supported me.” After four seasons in Pro D2 at Nevers (he scored nine tries last year), the Cameroonian will have therefore successfully made his debut in the Top 14. And this is perhaps only the beginning.
- RMC Sport
