During this time of Halloween and other Day of the Dead, the ghosts of the past have returned to haunt the CAB in Drôme. Everyone expected a revival and a good result. But the CAB remains the CAB and the face becomes more and more worrying. New spanking received in this now cursed stadium.
For this match, Valence-Romans changes half of its starting team compared to Nice. Brive is also making several changes with the return of several executives for this trip.
First period: Brive in reaction
At the start of the match, the teams are looking to establish themselves in the opposing camp. Be careful all the same to balance your kicking game well, like this overly long kicking game from Léo Carbonneau who ends with a dead ball and offers a scrum for Valence-Romans on the 40 meters from Brive (3′). Brive relies on the power of its forwards but the defense is vigilant. Valence-Romans relies on the speed of its 3/4 and it hits the mark. Mosese Mawalu brings the surplus and Louis Marrou overflows on the wing. He hits inside and Thomas Lhusero recovers to score the first try of the match (7-0, 8′). The Brivist reaction is immediate and it also goes through 3/4. Curwin Bosch plays on his right towards Thomas Zénon who continues in the same direction. Sam Johnson steps forward and opens the door for Mathis Ferté. The winger plays the 2 against 1 perfectly, finding Zénon inside who scores the try (7-7, 11′).
Valence-Romans recovers a penalty on a counter-ruck and Lucas Méret succeeds (10-7, 13′). Brive struggles to find the right distance with its kicking game and concedes another dead ball, this time by Bosch. The CAB is especially in difficulty in defense in the face of repeated offensives from the locals. Méret scores a 2nd penalty (13-7, 19′). Brive is not at ease and is suffering from the match for the moment. Clear foul from Carbonneau when a candle falls but this time, Méret misses the target (22′). We know that when Brive is going badly, Brive relies on its forwards. They start a maul and collect a penalty. Within 22 meters, a new maul is made but it is blocked. We try to put the game away, Bosch makes a low kick for himself but Méret reads the trajectory and flattens it in his in-goal just in front of the Brive opener (26′). Brive remains in the opposing camp and insists on cracking the VRDR. Interesting penaltouch to play within 22 meters. We look for the back block with Courtney Lawes who deflects (or not) the ball towards Erwan Dridi, present in the alignment. The winger shows his speed but is caught a few meters from the goal. The forwards continue and Marcel Van der Merwe finishes strong in goal (13-14, 31′).
On the return, Brive stupidly makes a mistake and offers a good attacking position to the Drôme. The attack sweeps the field but will end in touch. The advantage therefore gives nothing. However, Méret adds 3 more points and Valence-Romans takes control of the match (16-14, 33′). The Marrou – Mawalu duo is very damaging to the Brivist defense and Valence-Romans thinks to score another try with Thomas Rozière but he goes into touch before flattening thanks to a decisive tackle from Thomas Zénon (36′). Brive suffers and through suffering makes too many mistakes. Lucas Da Silva has been in the sights for some time now and will receive a yellow card (37′). Lucas Méret improves his team's offensive (19-14, 38′). On the dismissal, Brive thinks he will succeed in the hold-up. Courtney Lawes blocks Joris Moura's clearance. It is recovered by Samuel Maximin who is knocked to the ground 5 meters away. Léo Carbonneau delays and sees the space on his right. The scrum half accelerates and scores the try. But the referee requests the video and sanctions an obstruction by Retief Marais who opens the door for his teammate (40′). It is therefore Valence-Romans which leads to the break, rather correctly. Brive is in the reaction and does not control the match. We will have to do much better after the break.
Second period: Brive sinks body and soul
Brive begins the period numerically inferior. In Provence, Brive knew how to manage this period perfectly. We'll see if this happens again. The battle in the rucks is tough to start this 2nd period. Nobody gives up. Marrou continues to do full-axis damage and hurts the Brive defenders. The defense resists but will eventually crack. On an inside return, Louis Marrou infiltrates between Sam Johnson and Georges Shvelidze. The center perfectly shifts Mosese Mawalu who scores his first try of the season (24-14, 45′). Brive is under pressure and makes a mistake on offensive support. Méret adds 3 additional points (27-14, 47′). The numerical inferiority hurt Brive this time again. We are trying to bring new blood into the pack with 5 changes at once. But the effects are not those desired between another too long kick followed by a pressed scrum. Méret continues its festival (30-14, 55′). We are approaching the hour mark and the situation is starting to be critical for the CAB. If we compare the two offensive games, it is much less fluid and sharp in Brive than in Valence-Romans. At CAB, we try to rely on the forwards but even on the Briviste strong point, the carried ball, we also make a mistake with a combination which fails on the Drôme goal line (58′). Thomas Zénon tries to wake up his team and makes a big run, breaking several tackles. It continues but it does not conclude. However, a penalty is obtained and we opt for the throw-in. This time the combination is simpler and classic. The result is already known: Lawes catches the ball, the maul forms, shifts and Issam Hamel scores (30-19, 62′).
Brive is trying everything to get back into the game, knowing that end-of-match management is not Valence-Romans' strong point. Hugo Verdu finds a 50-22 just inside the opposing 22 meters. Brive approaches the opposing goal. We are on the line and we have to be patient in this type of situation. Except that there, Hamel wants to finish too quickly and tries to go over the ruck and cannot flatten. Ball returned to Valence-Romans and big opportunity missed by Brive (66′). Brive misses a golden opportunity to get back into the game. The sanction will be immediate. Méret makes a cross towards the left wing and Mawalu. The winger fixes two defenders before serving Moura who overflows. The back goes inside for Ben Neiceru who scores (35-19, 69′). Valence-Romans takes advantage of the spaces left by the Brivist defense to stay in the opposing camp. Conversely, the Brivist attack is not collective, everyone tries to make the difference alone and in this little game, it is the defense which wins the duels. Valence-Romans does not intend to let go of this match and break down at the end of the match. This time, that will not be the case and the locals will even drive home the point. Once again in charge, Méret sends a jump towards Neiceru who shifts the hooker Cyril Deligny who overflows like a winger. He fixes the last defender perfectly to offer Joris Moura the 4th VRDR try (42-19, 76′). Mass is said for Brive who will once again return from this trip with a big spanking. Loan Réal receives a yellow card at the end of the match (78′). Like a symbol, Brive is countered on the sideline at 5 meters and on the last touch of the match, the ball is not well controlled in the maul and the match ends with a forward. Valence-Romans deserves its evening success and Brive once again leaves with his head held low from the Georges Pompidou stadium. The black clouds begin to grow over the CAB's head.
Technical sheet
Valence-Romans : 4 tries from Lhusero (8'), Mawalu (45'), Neiceru (69') and Moura (76'); 2 conversions (8', 76') and 6 penalties (13', 19', 33', 38', 47', 55') from Méret; 1 yellow card from Real (78')
1 Aleo (62' Chouteau) – 2 Marco-Pena (62' Deligny) – 3 Vial (50' Milasinovich) – 4 McCauley – 5 Goumat (62' O'Shea) – 6 Bruchet (Cap) – 7 Real (59' Roux) – 8 Girlando (47' Vachon) (72' Real) – 9 Lhusero (66' Rodor) – 10 Meret – 11 Mawalu – 12 Marrou – 13 Pauvert (56' Neiceru) – 14 Rozière – 15 Moura
Brive : 3 tries from Zénon (11'), Van der Merwe (31') and Hamel (62'); 2 conversions (11', 31') from Bosch; 1 yellow card from Da Silva (37')
1 Chauvac (50' Fraissenon) – 2 Da Silva (50' Hamel) – 3 Van der Merwe (50' Coria Marchetti) – 4 Lawes (Cap) – 5 Ratuva (50' Mikautadze) – 6 Marais (76' Malaterre) – 7 Maximin – 8 Warren-Vosayaco (42'-47' Hamel) (50' Sadrugu) – 9 Carbonneau (54' Verdu) – 10 Bosch – 11 Dridi – 12 Johnson – 13 Shvelidze – 14 Ferté – 15 Zenon (66' Lefranc )
In brief
Two slaps received in one year. We say to ourselves that after the 45-10 in 2023, Brive has learned its lesson and will be focused and concerned. Not really. It feels like we're seeing last season's match again, but with one difference. Last season, Patrice Collazo decided to rotate while this Friday, Pierre-Henry Broncan decided to send his best team. Which makes the performance even more shameful. Brive continues to be very fragile away, failing to take control of the game, failing to put in place any semblance of an offensive game, always showing itself to be undisciplined and very crumbly in defense. The announced giant of the division is for the moment only a paper giant. There are two matches left to complete the block and offer a better face than that of the previous matches.
Images : Canal+Sport 360
