The Basques believed in it. But we will still have to wait to see them establish themselves away from home. On mission this Saturday, at the other end of France, Anglet fell again and conceded its fourth defeat in four trips. In this very homogeneous Nationale 2…
The Basques believed in it. But we will still have to wait to see them establish themselves away from home. On mission this Saturday, at the other end of France, Anglet fell again and conceded its fourth defeat in four trips. In this very homogenous Nationale 2, everything is more complicated away from home.
The playing conditions were difficult at the Villeneuve-d’Ascq Stadium, in the suburbs of Lille, where Olympique Marcquois Rugby plays. On a pitch in good condition, the humidity made the ball very slippery and both teams were quickly hampered in their intentions. Faced with the Marcquois who were dominant on impact and powerful in melee, Anglet often suffered but his hunting was efficient and his fighting spirit remarkable to prevent the Northerners from realizing their domination. Long restricted in his game, Anglet was able to accelerate in the second half and put himself in a position to win the match by scoring a magnificent try.
Return empty-handed
At the start of the action, there was first a combination in touch which allowed the northern defense to be surprised and put on its heels in its 22 meters. Then fly-half Curutchet played perfectly over the top to allow full-back Pelon to win in goal (12-13, 74th). So close to the end, it felt very good… But that was without counting on the reaction of the locals. The latter threw their last strength into the battle. With success. Following a blocked drop from fly-half Ricquebourg, a scrum five meters from the line offered a real opportunity. The northern scrum, dominant throughout the game, took the opportunity to advance, push everything in and provoke a logical penalty try (19-13, 77th). It was a tough blow for the Basques who were going to suffer at the end of the match. And get down on one knee when Ricquebourg dropped a drop on the gong to further establish the victory of the Northerners while taking them out of the defensive bonus (22-13, 80th).
“The match lasted five minutes too long… noted Anglo coach Anthony Biscay, before returning to the road. It’s frustrating to lead and come away with nothing but we lacked control. There is this rather improbable sequence, a dismissal which is taken back which leads to this blocked drop which brings this scrum to five meters… End to end, there are a lot of sequences against us. » Anglet came close to a big blow but came away empty-handed. Away, until then, the Angloys are not far away but cannot get there. The return to the Saint-Jean stadium next Sunday, against Arcachon, should help them evacuate while also creating a little pressure.
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