Pro D2 – The essential rescue of Charly Malié (Béziers), Biarritz scuttles itself… What to remember from the evening

Offload of the evening: Maëlan Rabut plays SBW

What better way to start the evening than with a classy gesture. In a match between the relegated Top 14 team Oyonnax and the promoted National team, Nice, the gap quickly seemed huge. Eight minutes to be exact. Time for Maëlan Rabut to recover a good pass from Lucas Mensa, eliminate a defender then two others with a superb “offload-chistera” in the style of a Sonny Bill Williams, for his winger Karim Qadiri. The former Grenoble player only had to negotiate his two against one and serve Darren Sweetnam on a plate for the first try of the Ain evening. In total, the Oyomen will pass eight tries to the Niçois, for a crushing 52-3 victory.

The evening’s failure: Biarritz sabotages itself and loses for the first time this season

What is the basis of invincibility? Sometimes, it is due to a serious lack of lucidity. Dominated in the first half, Biarritz returns to the locker room thirteen points behind Sapiac. But this season, the Biarritz players seem unperturbed, and have gradually made up the deficit, until they took the lead three minutes from the end. Better still, on their last move, the Montalbanais were unable to score and gave the ball back to the Basques for a goal kick. Yes, but in their haste, Enzo Selponi went straight into touch. A big mistake, which led to a scrum for the Sapiacains five metres from the Biarritz line. Enough to allow Sébastien Tillous-Borde’s men to score the winning try several minutes after the siren, and win 29-26.

Kick of the night: Dachi Papunashvili misses the unmissable

Aurillac moved to the Brive ogrewith a team reshuffled compared to its big win against FCG the previous week. Among these changes, Dachi Papunashvili took his place at the back for the Cantalous. Renowned for his kick, the Georgian lived up to his reputation, by immediately passing a 50-meter penalty. But in the quarter of an hour of play, when it was time to reward his team for a period of domination in the Brive camp, the former Tbilisi player missed the goal… from 22 meters in front of the posts. Remaining behind on the score (5-3, 18th), the Aurillacois were quickly left behind by the CAB, who won comfortably in front of their home crowd 48-17.

The dunce of the evening: Valence Romans still not taking off

The VRDR can’t do it, with a new defeat 24-17. At the Michel-Bendichou stadium, Valence Romans wanted to start their season by securing a first victory. And for a long time, Fabien Fortassin’s men seemed to do everything right, locking Colomiers down in a tight match. They even took the lead after an hour of play, on a ball carried and flattened by Kévin Goze. Finally the right one? Unfortunately not, because in the process, the Damiers were going to collapse, conceding fifteen points, and not bringing back a point from the Columérine enclosure. Infuriating as the collective performance was so positive during the first sixty minutes. Worrying, too, because the Drômois are now bottom of the table, and the only team to have never known victory this season.

The first of the evening: Mont-de-Marsan, finally…

After three days, Mont-de-Marsan had not yet won a single championship match. Results far from the usual standards of the Landais, accustomed to battling for the final stages in recent seasons. If the Angoumoisins had a good start to the season, with two victories in Aurillac and Nice, and a more disappointing defeat against Brive, the Montois were expected to turn the corner. Stung, vengeful, the Yellow and Black were already leading 20-0 after about twenty minutes of play! If the Angoumoisins came back to five points at the 53^eWillie Du Plessis’ teammates did not panic. They finally raised their arms for the first time this season by winning 32-19. A sigh of relief!

The centimeter of the evening: Agen drops a point

Before the match, the SUA supporters would probably have signed for a win against Nevers. Players and staff perhaps too. During their first outing of the season at Armandie, the Agenais had been beaten by Nice. This time, Sébastien Calvet’s men won, therefore, with a score of 35-17. But this victory may have a bitter group… Agen lost its offensive bonus in the 67th and did everything to get it back. After the siren, the Blue and Whites played a small side through Dorian Bellot. Lucas Martins put it back inside for Loris Tolot. The full-back was pushed into touch by two opponents but probably thought he had flattened just before. After reviewing the action many times, from all angles, Mr. Hourquet decided not to validate this try. By a small centimeter, the Agenais lost a point. Frustrating…

The rescue of the evening: Malié, a rescue worth five points

Still fourteen at 46^ethe Biterrois managed this inferiority rather well with a 3-0 during this period. But after receiving a kick close to the halfway line, the Aixois restarted. Adrien Lapègue-Lafaye put the ball back inside on Thomas Salles, on a two against one. But Charly Malié managed to slow down and then bring down the former RCT player, helped by Pierre Courtaud. The ASBH fly-half then skillfully slipped his hand under the ball to prevent the Provence Rugby full-back from flattening. After video refereeing, the referee decided to disallow the try. The club with eleven Brennus could have been led 22-25, or even 22-27. It was not to be! Subsequently, the Biterrois continued to keep their in-goal area inviolate, not even conceding a single point in the second half. This solid defense was rewarded with a 39-20 bonus victory. What a big move by Pierre Caillet’s men in this division clash!