CA Brive 32 – SU Agen 18
Lieu Brive (Stadium Municipal). Spectators 9 822. Arbitrator Mr. Pierre Bru (Occitanie). Half time 12-8.
IT BRIVES 4 tries from Chauvac (5th), Railevu (28th), Bosch (42nd), Boudou (64th); 3 conversions (5th, 42nd, 64th) and 2 penalties (53rd, 68th) from Bosch.
The team: Ferté – Dridi (Galletier, 56th), Rokoduru, Pimienta (Verdu, 75th), Railevu (Dridi, 61st) – (o) Bosch, (m) Verdu (Carbonneau, 63rd) – Lawes (cap.), Sadrugu (Warren- Vosayaco, 56th), Marais – Timani (Mikautadze, 43rd), Ratuva (Usarraga Latierro, 43rd) – Van der Merwe (Coria-Marchetti, 56th), Hamel (Boudou, 56th), Chauvac (Fraissenon, 56th).
Yellow cards: Lawes (46th, anti-play), Rokoduru (49th, dangerous tackle).
YOUR AGEN 2 tries from Tolot (19th), Etcheverry (47th); 1 transformation (47th) and 2 penalties (33rd, 58th) from Pourteau.
The team: Pourteau – Tolot (El Bibouji, 26e-34e ; Guion, 34e-35e ; Martins, 66e), Ramoka, Garrigues (Belan, 41e), Etcheverry – (o) Searle, (m) Maunder (Idjellidaine, 63e) – Fineanganofo ( Bonnet, 59e), Gayraud, Lebian (chap.) – Demotte (Eissmann, 49e), Olmstead (Demotte, 63e) – Farrance (Macharashvili, 29e-68e), Socino, Lombard-Buret (Guion, 58e).
Yellow cards: Socino (25th, anti-play), Lombard-Buret (39th, anti-play).
Et if finally SU Agen was in its place in the soft underbelly of the Pro D2, between the 9e and the 11e place ? It is in any case in this area that the protégés of Sébastien Calvet (9e) will complete the first leg, with only Mont-de-Marsan and Colomiers able to overtake them this Friday evening. An “average” Pro D2 team, capable of winning at Boniface (23-28), of signing two improved victories at home against teams in bad shape, but also of losing at home against the promoted Nice (12-16). Capable of the best and the worst, the Agenais once again showed a lack of consistency this Thursday evening on the Brive lawn. They paid a high price (32-18) against Corréziens who signed a 13e consecutive victory at home to join (provisionally) Grenoble (expected this Friday evening in Brive) at the top of the Pro D2.
The Agenais dreamed of an exploit to give themselves an early gift and get back into the top 6 at the end of this first leg. It’s a failure. However, they were illusioned for more than an hour when faced with the CAB’s XXL size pack. Still in the game in the middle of the second period (22-18), Julien Lebian’s partners were able to hold the standoff by returning blow for blow despite difficult weather conditions. But they ended up giving in in the last twenty minutes, the Corrèze bench with six forwards making the difference against the Agenais who paid for their profusion of energy. With the back-to-back receptions of Provence Rugby (January 10, 7:30 p.m.) and Biarritz (January 16, 9 p.m.) to start 2025, they will have to prove that they can go the distance over eighty minutes.
The SUA is resisting
With only 4 points behind at the break (12-8), the Agenais were doing very well. Archi-dominated in closed scrums (sanctioned 4 times), too undisciplined (2 yellow cards) and well helped by the lack of efficiency of the Brivistes, Julien Lebian’s partners were despite everything still in the game at the change of sides. They owed it in particular to five minutes having passed around the quarter of an hour of play on the Corrèze line. After two penalties, a scrum at 5 meters and a penalty played by hand, they were able to tighten the CAB defense to finally find the opening on the outside with Pourteau who offered the try to his winger Tolot at the end of the line ( 19e). The Agenais knew how to react after being picked up cold.
“Capable of the best and the worst, the Agenais once again showed a lack of consistency this Thursday”
Defense coach Adel Fellah had warned his men: “The Brive pack is number 1 in Pro D2. » The Agenais, already punished by two Aurillac “tanks” in the second half last Friday, were able to verify this from the start. Penalty conceded in scrum, penalty, and try from left pillar Chauvac at the conclusion of a carried ball: after less than 300 seconds of play in pouring rain, the SUA had already taken the hail (7-0, 5e). Despite a ball transformed into soap, the Brivistes proved that they could also put aside their ammunition to send the former Agenais winger Railevu behind the line for his first start at home in the CAB jersey (28e). The SUA picked up again with a penalty from Pourteau (12-8, 33e).
A poorly negotiated superiority
The standoff would continue until the hour mark between two teams going blow for blow. The Corréziens were still the first in action to make a first break, only 76 seconds after the restart, with their opener Bosch who feigned the pass to open a gap before mystifying Pourteau (19-8, 42e). Far from being resigned, the Agenais still reacted with a penalty played by hand near the line which allowed winger Etcheverry to score his seventh try of the season, the fifth in three matches (19-15, 47e). With a penalty from Pourteau (58e) to respond to Bosch (53e), the four points difference at the break was still there (22-18) and the SUA could still believe in the feat.
But he had already missed his chance by failing to take advantage of seven minutes (49e-56e) in double numerical superiority. A ball lost by Socino after a penalty (50e) and a direct kick into touch from Searle (51e), by confusing speed and haste, Sébastien Calvet’s men shot themselves in the foot. The backlash was brutal with a devastating new ball carried which propelled the Briviste hooker replacing Boudou behind the line for CAB’s fourth try (29-18, 64e). The break was made when Bosch added a penalty to deprive the Agenais of any hope of a sixth defensive bonus (32-18, 68e). They had the merit of remaining mobilized so as not to offer the offensive bonus to the Corréziens.
Planning
Resting until January 5. The Agenais played this Thursday evening in Brive their last match of the first phase which is also the last in 2024. The Pro D2 taking a break during the end-of-year holidays, unlike the Top 14, they will therefore be able to take advantage of the truce of the confectioners. Julien Lebian’s partners are thus resting from this Friday. They will only return to training in Armandie on Sunday January 5 to prepare for the reception of Provence Rugby, Friday January 10 at 7:30 p.m.
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