A return match is never easy to approach. In this top-of-the-table clash between Dax and Brive, the conditions were not easy but only one team was able to tame them. And unfortunately, it is not the CAB which begins 2025 showing a very bad face.
For this match, Dax modifies his team by bringing in a new 3/4 line. In Brive, there are more changes with a return from injury and two new players starting at CAB.
First period: Dax plays in the rain
In very winter conditions (rain, wind, soft ground), it starts well for Brive with Viliame Tutuvili missing when receiving the kick-off given by Curwin Bosch. In the scrum, Brive made the effort and won a penalty. The players opt for the throw-in but things go wrong: the ball is poorly caught in the air so it is impossible to build the maul behind and by hand, the Brive players commit a forward move (3′). Dax, after this heatwave, begins to settle into the Brivist camp. Always with this playful spirit, the team plays and alternates forwards and 3/4. Dax is very close to scoring a try but still pushes the defense to make a mistake. On the 5 meter penalty, we try a combination on the 5 meter corridor but there is a bit of misunderstanding. The ball arrives in the hands of Louis Barrère who doesn’t beat around the bush: straight at full speed on Léo Carbonneau and a try from the Dacquois hooker (7-0, 9′). The dacquois know and like to play in disorder. On a ball on the ground, it is hit on the right foot in front by Dax. If Mathis Ferté crashes into his 22 meters, he keeps the ball on the ground and is penalized. We play quickly by hand and Tutuvili is alerted thanks to a cross. It takes the defense of Matias Moroni to prevent the try (10′). It continues to heat up for the Brivists. In the center of the field, in a harmless action, Sylvère Reteau escapes Retief Marais and leaves alone. Inside he finds Genesis Mamea Lemalu who quietly dives into the goal (14-0, 14′). Absolutely nightmarish first quarter of an hour for the Brivists. Ultimately, Brive’s only positive sector is its scrum. The forwards get a penalty. Curwin Bosch passes the penalty and clears the counter (14-3, 19′).
Touched on the action of the second Dacquois test, Lucas Da Silva is hit in the right ankle and can no longer continue. He is replaced by Benjamin Boudou. If he had difficulty catching the first ball in touch, Sasha Gué is poison in the counterattack with already 3 stolen balls. Unfortunately, Brive fails to exploit this additional ammunition. If Dax poses problems for Brive by playing hand-to-hand in difficult conditions, he nevertheless suffers in melee. Diogo Hasse Ferreira is in the viewfinder and by dint of being in the viewfinder, the right pillar goes to rest for ten minutes with a yellow card (28′). When nothing is going well in Brive, nothing is going well. By wanting to extend to find the penalty, Bosch had it saved by the Dacquoise rear guard who removed a big defensive situation there. On the other side, it’s messy between bad passes and offensive support at fault. Fortunately, Romuald Séguy misses the target (33′). There are only eleven points difference but that may not seem like much as Dax had the ball but the locals lost too many balls notably in touch with a 4th against Brivist. The break is whistled and Brive misses its match, unable to produce anything coherent in attack. Unlike Dax who plays his game, as we have been accustomed to with him for a year and a half.
Second period: Brive in distress
The rain did not subside at the break and in the locker room, the Dacquois had every intention of not breaking down against the Brive players who had to wake up and show a different face in the second half. Unfortunately, this does not take the path with always these inaccuracies and these technical errors. One man sums up this situation perfectly: Léo Carbonneau. The scrum half is imprecise in his transmissions, complains a lot (which neither the referee nor his coaches like) and can’t get the right tempo. Brive has to settle for crumbs and Dax offers a penalty on a screen. Bosch passes his 2nd penalty of the evening (14-6, 49′). To try to reverse the situation, Brive brings in its forward bench with 5 reinforcements. At the next stoppage in play, the response was immediate from Dax who also brought in his big players. The CAB tries to reverse things but Bosch does not play the small side action until the end. It’s scratched on the ground by Dax who hits far in front. Paul Pimienta comes to save the homeland but finds himself under pressure. The action that follows is confusing. While the referee gives a penalty in favor of Dax for a tackle without the ball from Brive, we are entitled to a video call. Mr Hernandez judges that there is no unfair play by Alexandre Manukula. Romual Séguy passes the penalty (17-6, 55′). Brive is about to explode. Dax launches an attack from 22 meters. Noah Néné is served on his 22 meters. The center accelerates and reviews the entire Brivist defense. In turn, Léo Carbonneau, Matthieu Voisin and Erwan Dridi miss tackles. The dacquois is pursued by Sasha Gué who tries the spoon. In his fall, Néné serves Théo Gatelier who scores his team’s 3rd try. After video, the last pass is forward and the attempt is therefore refused (57′). For his recovery, Sasha Gué had a good match with in particular 3 stolen balls in touch and this tackle which avoided Dax’s try. Brive finally finds itself in the 22 dacquois, manages to play and proves dangerous. We are in the last 10 meters but the defense resists until making a mistake. Bosch passes the penalty but the South African striker grimaces (17-9, 69′).
There is little time left but we say why not. Except that Dax continues to play and be dangerous. The Dacquois quickly return to the 22 meters of Brive but a forward attack on the ground from 5 meters completes a dangerous action (71′). The Brive scrum recovers a new penalty and Brive gives itself a good attacking position in the opposing camp but Etienne Loiret comes to steal the ball in front of Matthieu Voisin (74′). While Brive can still aim for a hypothetical defensive bonus, the threads touch in Brive. After a tackle on Néné, Taniela Sadrugu kicks the dacquois’ head. Not violent but the gesture is there, as is the sanction: red card for the Brivist (75′). Dax only has a few minutes left to get the offensive bonus. On a foot play over the top, Carbonneau is in coverage and flattens in his in-goal. Except that Thomas Zénon commits an obstruction and is penalized. Dax goes into touch and in Brive, we know this action well. In Brivist style, the Dacquois set off on a maul and Jean-Baptiste Barrère comes to score the bonus try (22-9, 79′). Dax ensures the dismissal, runs the clock and taps to validate this improved victory. Brive missed out again in an away match. Nothing has gone in the right direction at Maurice Boyau and the year 2025 is off to a bad start for the CAB.
Technical sheet
Dax : 3 tries from L.Barrère (9′), Lemalu (14′) and JB.Barrère (79′); 2 conversions (9′, 14′) and 1 penalty (55′) from Séguy; 1 yellow card from Hasse Ferreira (28′)
1 Lolohea (51′ Dréan) – 2 L.Barrere (51′ Hiriart-Urruty) – 3 Hasse Ferreira (51′ Leatigaga) – 4 Loiret – 5 Singer (51′ Manukula) – 6 JB.Barrere (Cap) (51′ Aletti) – 7 Ausset – 8 Lemalu (69′ JB.Barrere) – 9 Reteau (55′ Ravier) – 10 Seguy – 11 Tutuvili (33′-39′ Leatigaga) – 12 Néné – 13 Daguerre (63′ Puntous) – 14 Gatelier – 15 Duprat (63′ Oltmann)
Brive : 3 penalties (19′, 49′, 69′) from Bosch; 1 red card from Sadrugu (75′)
1 Chauvac (50′ Fraissenon) – 2 Da Silva (19′ Boudou) – 3 Van der Merwe (Cap) (50′ Coria Marchetti) – 4 Usarraga – 5 Stassen (50′ Mikautadze) – 6 Marais (50′ Voisin) – 7 Gué (61′ Marais) – 8 Warren-Vosayaco (50′ Sadrugo) – 9 Carbonneau – 10 Bosch – 11 Dridi – 12 Pimienta – 13 Moroni (63′ Rokoduru) – 14 Zenon – 15 Ferté
In brief
Last season, in April, Brive took a lesson from Maurice Boyau. In this month of January, the playing conditions were very different but the tactical and technical lesson was the same. Dax knew how to play perfectly with the elements, alternating foot play in the axis and hand play. Brive showed too much technical waste and ultimately quite worrying. Above all, we never felt like a team at ease on the pitch, with a clear and precise game plan.. Brive did not create a testing opportunity for 80 minutes, lost their starting hooker to injury and lost a player for a stupid red card. A bad evening from start to finish for the CAB.
Images : Canal+Sport
