In Regional 2 Nouvelle Aquitaine, the 9th day, synonymous with the last match of the first leg, took place this Sunday, December 8. In pool 5, US Herm Rugby (7th, 9 points, record of 2 wins for 5 losses) hosted US Grenadoise (4th, 23 points, 5 wins for 2 losses). In order not to see the two relegated players (Ychoux and Narrosse) come back on their heels, the locals had to take points at home. For the Grenadians, until then undefeated on their land, the challenge was to better export themselves and thus be able to catch up with the leading pack. To set the scene a little more, note that ithe duel between Landais took place on soft ground and in delicate climatic conditions. So, who won in these puddles? (By Loulou / photos Jean-Marc Lestage)
WhatRugby ?
The match
From the first minutes of play, Paul Lasserre, the three-quarter center and captain of l’US Hermis forced out due to injury (4th). A hard blow for the locals, orphans of their barometer of the back line for the rest of the game. A few moments later, the Grenadian opener, Jules Larquier, opened the scoring with a penalty (0-3, 8th).
In the mud, the two teams are unable to get the game going. A fight ensues and the scrums follow one another. Benjamin Ducasse, however, brings Herm back to equality by showing himself skillful against the poles (3-3, 27th). But no more points will be scored until the break. The bulletin board attendant has not had a difficult task so far, but at least the suspense remains before starting the second act.
The ball does not pass between the drops, but between the poles, that's the main thing
Grenade makes Herm falter thanks to its finishers
Upon resumption, the two staffs quickly made numerous changes to bring in some new blood. And very quickly, the US Grenada bench proved decisive. Maxime Loubeyre, arrived in the Landes this summer from AS Bayonnaise, scored the first try of the game, a few minutes after coming into play (3-8, 58th). You then have to wait until the last ten minutes to see the score get carried away.
US Herm takes advantage of numerical superiority to go to ladies, through Vincent Gaxie (8-8, 69th). Having just returned to the level, the locals then appear undisciplined. Maxime Loubeyre, who took the goal, punished these mistakes twice with penalties (8-11, 71st, then 8-14, 74th). At the very end of the match, the locals managed to reduce the score, with a try from Bresac (80th), transformed by himself. Final score: US Herm Rugby 15 – 24 US Grenadoise
Water tackle?
Thanks to this wet-footed success, their second away from home of the season, the US Grenadoise is getting closer to the top three in the ranking (4th, 27 points). To confirm their place in the top 4, the latter will have the opportunity to widen the gap on their main pursuer: Union Rugby Gascon (5th, 23 points), which they will host next weekend, for the last day before the winter break.
Herm did well on his side, but once again had to lose against a team at the top of the table. The Hermois, despite this zero-point defeat, still have a small lead over the two relegates from the group. A crucial match in the race to maintain looms next Sunday for the Landais, who will welcome the red lantern, AS Narrossaise (9th, 2 points). A victory would allow them to spend the holidays warm, but conversely, a defeat would completely restart this fight for the bottom of the ranking.
Be careful, slippery ball
The reactions
Cyril Lavie, captain and hooker of Grenada:“We were traveling on a complicated pitch in Herm and facing a great team. We managed to get through it thanks to a good first half. Then, we're a little more difficult, we take boxes and it's more complicated for us. But we still manage to win with difficulty. To win in these difficult conditions, apart from courage and a good state of mind, there is nothing that can change a rugby match. »
Philippe Bresac, three-quarter coach at Herm: “We had a somewhat mixed start to the season with a bit of breakage at one point which meant that we weren't always able to fight with our weapons. Today, in difficult conditions, we had a good match against a team who are at the top of the table. I think we would have deserved at least a defensive bonus point.
Nothing to say about the state of mind, but we still lack certainty. We make stupid mistakes and the opposing scorer punishes our indiscipline. We are not giving up and we will continue to work for the rest of the season. I am convinced that with the boys' state of mind and their motivation, success will eventually come, because they deserve it. We will believe in the virtues of work until it smiles on us. »
Philippe Bresac, three-quarter coach at Herm
Benjamin Langlade, three-quarter coach of Grenada: “For this match, I think we took things in order. With its complicated weather conditions, we knew that we would not have a big flight, but rather a somewhat old-fashioned match. It's part of rugby. We managed to take the score and not suffer during the highlights of Herm where we managed not to take any points.
For me, it is thanks to these defensive sequences that we manage to gain the upper hand. We have the strength to have a group that is quite homogeneous, so we try to balance our team. The contribution of the bench is always essential and once again, we did not let up when the replacements returned. »
The Granada coach can't believe his eyes
Nicolas Normand, second row of Herm:“With the weather and the state of the pitch, we expected a big fight up front. We set ourselves the goal of winning this match, which we failed to do. In the commitment, we were there, but we made too many mistakes which cost us dearly. Our second half is much better, but we are constantly chasing the score against a very good Granada team.
At the start of the season, we got through several matches. We had quite a few injuries, so we still have a somewhat fragile group. We are building something to perpetuate this club that we started only three years ago. So, we're going to treat the injuries. Again in this match, we lost our captain in the first action, another hard blow. We have to raise our heads, not forget that we are a recent club with a squad of young and old. We must win quickly to regain confidence. »
A Norman in the South-West
The match sheet
In Herm (Herm Municipal Stadium) – US Grenadoise beats US Herm 24 to 15 (3-3 half)
For Herm: 2 tries by Gaxie (68th) and Bresac (80th); 1 transformation by Bresac (80th); 1 penalty by Ducasse (27th); 1 white card (16th)
For Granada: 2 tries by Loubeyre (58th); 1 transformations and 4 penalties by Loubeyre (71st, 74th) and Larquier (8th); 1 yellow card (66th)
