EPCR Challenge Cup Day 3
After a good start to their European campaign, Section needed a confirmation and especially a win in Newport to qualify for the round of 16. A bonus point from South Africa after an improved win over Newcastle saw the section sit second in their group.
A poor start to the match saw Palois quickly find themselves outnumbered, but Béarnais’ pragmatism allowed them to quickly take a 9-3 lead after 30 minutes of play thanks to three penalties from Axel Desperes. Wainwright’s try for the home side made it 8-9 at the break. Possession is in Welsh’s favor and Palois defends very hard (209 tackles in the game). It was the first period that wasn’t very exciting, but the section had some merit to keep going.
Back in the locker room, Béarnaise’s dominance reached new levels. The green and white forwards are in particularly good form with solid, conquering scrums, scraped balls, forward runs and well-defended mauls. Enough to achieve step-by-step success at Newport’s Rodney Parade. Clément Mondinat scored Pau’s first try (and first try in a professional game!). Dan Jooste, assisted by his friend Axel Desperes (53′ 8-19), scored after a ball away (64′ 8 -24). ). Desperes’ metamorphosis found the post but did not make it through. Our young opener would go on to score 14 runs in the match, showing a particularly adept display against Paul. A Newport try at the end of the match does not change the result (78′ 15-24). Our Béarnais recorded their first away win of the season with a win in Wales!
“The job is done and done well. An away win will ensure we qualify. In direct play and 1v1 play we were level. Today I was under the impression that we had reached a milestone in the scrum, maul and ruck. » After the game, he thanked Brandon Fajardo, who was his coach during the EPCR Challenge Cup. The Ospreys’ reception, scheduled for 2pm on Saturday 18 January, will be crucial in securing second place, as will Hameau’s round of 16!
match sheet
Final score: 15-24; Score mi-temps: 8-9
Dragon: 2 tries by Wainwright (38′) and Dyer (77′), 1 conversion by Evans (78′) and 1 penalty by Evans (14′).
team: Evans (3′ Evans, 15′ Evans, 26′ Evans) – Dyer, Westwood, Ackerman, Rosser – (o) O’Brien (c) (40′ Rosser), (m) Che Khoff (65′ Lloyd) – Young (50′ Lydiate), Basham, Wainwright – Langton-Cryer, Davis (55′ Nott) – Coleman (50′ Arhip), D (65′ Benjamin), Martinez (50′ Kelleher-Griffith)
part time job : Mondinat (52′), 2 tries by Jooste (63′), 1 conversion by Desperes (53′), 4 penalties by Desperes (12′, 24′, 29′, 48′); Chapter 2 Warnings for Hamonou (3′) and Attissogbe (76′)
team: Mondinat (67′ Maddocks) – Attissogbe, Roudil (cap), Brau-Boirie (59′ Valentino), Arfeuil – (o) Desperes, (m) Robson (55′ Souverbie) – Auradou, Hamonou, Tlili (31′ Credez) – Maximin (73′ Templier), Picquette – Zabala (55′ Williams), Ruffenach (62′ Jooste), Seneca (55′ Bibijiu)
Match Summary
