Two teams with Top 14 ambitions open the ball on this seventh day. We will see in a few months where Provence and Brive will be in the ranking with perhaps the opportunity to meet again in the final phase for the big decider. But before the beauty, there is this first round in this duel.
For the moment, the season is off to a good start for the two teams who are still looking for each other a little and who have not yet found their cruising speed. There is still time to find it but for the moment, Provence and Brive are at the top of the ranking and that is the main thing.
Review of the season
Provence : 7th with 16 points (3 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses)
Brive : 1st with 19 points (4 wins, 0 draws, 2 losses)
Last season, in the three-way fight for the first two places, Provence did everything well at the end of the season to take first place at the end of the regular season. Perhaps a little too well done because it was the same part of the table as Grenoble, the scarecrow of this final phase. And the Grenoble residents won their place in the final by winning against Maurice David. Big disappointment for Provence which must return to battle this season with generally the same direct competitors plus Oyonnax back in Pro D2. The opening of the season is anything but easy with the reception of Agen. Provençal indiscipline almost cost dearly with the Agennais taking the lead during the second half. Provence receives a red card and ends the match at 14, Agen believes in it even more. Except that Jimmy Gopperth comes out of his box to offer victory to his team which was hot on this one. For the revenge of the last semi-final, everything will be played out, in a match without a try. The match is there but Sam Davies continues to be the executioner of Provence with the penalty to win at the siren. Again, Provence is upset at home. This time, it was Montauban who had a very good match and above all a very good start to the second period. But the last 25 minutes were to the advantage of the locals who made up ground to narrowly win at the final whistle. So far, Provence was a bit of the bane of Béziers but the bane will miss its match. Absent at the start of the match, Provence returned to take the lead at the break. But in the second period, there is only one team on the field and it is that of Béziers which wins with the offensive bonus. A slap that will wake up the Provençals who will make short work of Oyonnax just before the break. A victory without possible dispute which allows you to finish the block well. To start the next block, there is this tricky move to Soyaux-Angoulême. With minds already turned towards the reception of Brive, Provence struggles to widen the gap by leading 6-0. But after the hour mark, the Angoumoisins equalized and the match ended with a share of the points. Against Brive, we will have to get closer to the content produced against Oyonnax than that produced at Soyaux-Angoulême. But there is no doubt that the intensity and the desire will be very different this Thursday evening.
If for the moment, in production, it’s a bit of a yes and a no, Brive is full of points and does not accumulate any ignition delays. The season starts well with the initial victory against Oyonnax. We may regret putting up this poster on the first day because the two teams were clearly in training but the CAB was more effective in attack. If last season, we had to wait until the end of the 2nd block to see an away victory, the CAB hits immediately on its first trip of the season. If we thought that the match would be easy, it was without counting on the reaction of the Angoumois residents. They even came close to victory without a decisive tackle from Courtney Lawes. Despite this scare, Brive has a second victory in as many matches. There will be no pass of 3 on the Nevers side. In a match with incessant whistles, it was Nevers who achieved the best end of the match to achieve the first success of their season. Brive broke down at the end when there was room to do something. Back at the Stadium, now equipped with a fourth stand, Brive does the job against Aurillac. Hooked at the start of the match, the CAB put things into gear at the half-hour mark to play their game and please their entire audience with an offensive production of 7 tries and 48 points scored. The party was beautiful and the inauguration had its recital. At the end of the 4th day, Brive found itself in first place in the classification. At this stage of the season, it’s very symbolic but it’s always good for morale. This won’t last long. On the Mont de Marsan side, the Brive players play the first quarter of an hour and decide to return home afterwards. Brive is absent from the debates for more than an hour with Mont de Marsan reciting his score to perfection (which is not really the case at the start of the season). The people of Mons give a big slap to the Brivists who fall from their cloud as they move onto the second block of the season. And this block starts with a trap. Biarritz is passing through with the leader’s costume. Even if several starters did not make the trip, Brive must be wary. The BO puts its game in place but comes up against a formidable Brivist defense. Without the ball, the Brive players manage to hurt the rare possessions in the opposing camp. In the second period, Brive scores two tries and completes the affair. A new improved victory at home which feels good and allows us to get back on track after Mont de Marsan. The CAB regains the leading position before another complicated trip to Provence. The opportunity to show another face on the move.
Strong men
When the Top 14 is blocked, it is interesting to be loaned to the floor below to play. Paul Mallez is on loan from Toulouse but has managed to earn his place in Provence. And he will have work to do against the Brivist melee. Former Brive player Andres Zafra suffered injuries last season upon his arrival in Provence. It’s better this year and he can play in more matches. Its size will not be too big to bother the Brivist alignment. This match is the reunion match. Teimana Harrison will reunite with her former captain, who had a very big season a year ago. Jules Plisson discovers Pro D2 and for the moment, things are going well for the former Parisian. He too will find an old acquaintance. Provence has an attacking game and the wingers regularly enjoy themselves. Léo Drouet has already made 3 tries while Adrien Lapègue has scored 5. Last season, he scored 17 tries including the winning try against Brive.
Da Silva weekly update: against Biarritz, the hooker scored again, bringing his total to 7 tries in 6 matches. Another try against Provence? It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Tevita Ratuva as present and incisive on the pitch as he was against Biarritz. When he’s like that, he’s good for the whole team. After starting on the 2nd line, Courtney Lawes returned to the 3rd line against Biarritz. Facing Provence, he took the captain’s armband, moved to the 3rd line and found old acquaintances: his former teammate Harrison and a former prey Plisson. With Retief Marais on the bench, Samuel Maximin will be wanted in the lineup. He also demonstrated that he was active on the field. First start of the season for Hugo Verdu who will quickly have to find his feet at the hinge with Curwin Bosch. Punished against Biarritz, Thomas Zéno has something to be forgiven for. His speed and kicking could be interesting to use during the match. The playing conditions promise to be complicated with rain and wind. Stuart Olding’s experience should not be overlooked and this will be able to relieve his teammates.
Results and confrontations
Provence (at home) : tourist office
Agen (21-18), Montauban (30-26), Oyonnax (38-3)
Brive (away) : VDD
Soyaux-Angoulême (25-28), Nevers (27-26), Mont de Marsan (33-11)
Refueling at home is a good thing, but to aim high in Pro D2, you also need to know how to earn points away from home. This is the subtle balance to find for the teams throughout the season.
Provence had difficulty getting the machine started at home with close victories against Agen and Montauban but in the last match, it was clean and without any mistakes, what’s more against Oyonnax. There is no doubt that the Provençals will rely on it for Brive. The CAB rather goes the opposite way outside. It started well in Soyaux-Angoulême before getting worse in Nevers. At Mont de Marsan, Brive was off topic and had to react on the move.
With fairly recent direct confrontations, Brive has the advantage in the overall results. But during the last two seasons spent together, it’s a draw with Brive players winning at the Stadium and Aix players winning at Maurice David. Provence have won the last two matches played at home : 2 points in 2018 (22-20) and 6 points last season with this try in stoppage time.
Here is the composition of the two teams for the Provence – Brive match (kick-off at 9 p.m., referee: Mr Evan Urruzmendi)
For Provence : 1 Vernet – 2 Jammes – 3 Mallez – 4 Zafra – 5 Rodda – 6 Harrison – 7 Taieb – 8 Jalagonia – 9 Coville (Cap) – 10 Plisson – 11 Drouet – 12 Finau – 13 Septar – 14 Lapègue – 15 Colombet
Substitutes : 16 Boubila – 17 Nostadt – 18 Tyrell – 19 Thompson-Stringer – 20 Gambini – 21 Cazenave – 22 Gopperth – 23 Pieretto
Absent : Samaran (knee), Wegrzyn, Francis, Sauveterre (Achilles tendon), Hannoyer (knee), Belhadj, Hanigan (concussion), Piazzoli (suspension), Suta, Navizet and North (Achilles tendon)
For Brive : 1 Chauvac – 2 Da Silva – 3 Van der Merwe – 4 Ratuva – 5 Timani – 6 Lawes (Cap) – 7 Maximin – 8 Warren-Vosayaco – 9 Verdu – 10 Bosch – 11 Dridi – 12 Johnson – 13 Shvelidze – 14 Zenon – 15 Olding
Substitutes : 16 Boudou – 17 Fraissenon – 18 Delannoy – 19 Marais – 20 Sadrugu – 21 Ferté – 22 Carbonneau – 23 Kiteau
Absent : To consult the status of the CA Brive infirmary, do not hesitate to go to the infirmary tab
Image : Provence Rugby
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