A week after having overthrown Montauban (33-34) at Sapiac
FC Grenoble hosted Nevers this Thursday, October 27 at the Stade des Alpes in the opening match of the 9th day of Pro D2. On the Grenoble side, center Batu Ezcurra was captain for the first time. Last season, the Red and Blue had won with the offensive bonus
at the Stade des Alpes (34-10). This time Grenoble won by a small point (19-18) despite many lost hits and scrums. More information to come…
The two teams go blow for blow
The two teams are not released from the kick-off at the siren, with a first penalty in the 5th minute for the Grenoble residents, equalized a few minutes later by the Nivernais. The two teams went blow for blow and the score was 6-6 on the hour mark. For their part, Fabien Gengenbacher’s men chained good sequences, but their conquest, already in difficulty against Montauban, is very fragilewith a broken arm and two scrum penalties and three lost throws, including one 5 meters from the opposing in-goal.
But in the 35th minute, the Grenoble residents returned to play in the 22 of Nevers after a throw-in lost by the visitors, and in the end Karim Qadiri overflowed and the top scorer from Grenoble flattened out the first and only try of the match. The transformation passes and Grenoble leads by 7 points, but on the dismissal the Grenoble residents make a mistake and the neversois scorer reduces the gap before the break (13-9)
An undecided match from start to finish
Double penalized immediately after returning from the locker room, the Grenoble residents let Nevers come back to a point 13 to 12. The two teams neutralize each other in the game but scrums are always tricky, and referee Evan Urruzmendi credits one yellow card on each side. On a following scrum, the Isère pack recovers a penalty restores a little air (16-12).
But on a shoulder tackle, Fonua makes a mistake and also takes a yellow card, leaving his partners at 13 against 14 while Nevers returns again to a point. The Grenoble residents did not weaken and collected a penalty at the entrance of the 22 Nivernais, passed without problem by Corentin Glénat, but Nevers also recovered one 22 meters in front of the poles. The score is 19-18, five minutes left to play.
But the Rouge et Bleu hold on and recover a penalty a few seconds before the siren. For the second time in a row, they won with forceps, by a small point. A short but precious victory that allows them to provisionally take 2nd place ranking tied with Agen.