If you like suspense, you have to watch CA Brive fixtures. Why make it simple when you can make it complicated ? Between two confident teams, the duel was going to be and will be tight until the end. It will play out for nothing but Brive continues his incredible streak.
For this match, Brive keeps its confidence in the winning group in Pau, by making some changes. Toulon comes with a great team despite many absences.
First period: legs of fire
Brive suffered the start of the match and suffered from Toulon mastery. Toulon settles in the Brivist camp and even in the 22. The CAB backs down, backs down and makes a mistake. Author of a tackle without a ball, Axel Muller receives a yellow card (2′). On the penal, the Brivist forwards resist so we try offshore. Duncan Paia’aua sends a cross towards Erwan Dridi but Joris Jurand reads the intention perfectly and will even recover a penalty after being pushed into the air by the Toulon winger. After this first heat stroke, Brive will rely on his conquest to start his match. The touch has corrected the shot, the scrum holds the shock and the ground game recovers a penalty. Following a penalty, the Brivist pack triggers a maul and pushes the RCT to fault. In the corner, Enzo Hervé opens the scoring (3-0, 12′). Brive will have finally managed its numerical inferiority well. Toulon tries to organize in his camp but will take too long to play the ball in the ruck by Tane Takulua. Small mistake but big consequence. Behind the fray, Vasil Lobzhanidze uses Guillaume Galletier as a lure to serve Setareki Bituniyata. The winger takes the hole, fixes Bryce Heem to pass to Eneriko Buliruarua who finishes in the in-goal (8-0, 15′).
Eneriko Buliruarua concludes while sliding
What movement of the Brivists on this scrum and a clean ball exit. Brive doesn’t stop there and uses Bituniyata’s power to move forward. In the Toulon camp, Lobzhanidze is tackled high by his direct opponent. Hervé adds 3 more points (11-0, 20′). Brive made a very good start to the match but beware, Toulon is far from having said its last word. Following an offside from Hervé on the center line, the RCT has a penalty 10 meters from the in-goal. The playing times multiply within 5 meters, the forwards insist. By dint of trying, it comes into force. Eben Etzebeth clears the tackle from Kitione Kamikamica and “flies” towards the in-goal for the Toulon test (11-7, 24′). Immediately, Brive returns to the opposing camp and the defense is taken in an offside position. Hervé breathes new life into his team (14-7, 26′). The two teams try to settle in the opposing camp but the kicking game is surgical. Toulon made the effort in melee and obtained a penalty. Takulua brings his own back to less than a trial gap (14-10, 32′). But Brive will activate its “Flying Fijians” option! If the action starts a little oddly (Lobzhanidze blocked at the foot but the ball is retained), the rest is individual talent. Kamikamica charges and fixes the defense in the axis. Bituniyata grates politeness to his scrum-half and grabs the ball, sinks into a hole before sending a superb pass after contact to Buliruarua. The center pierces and sends Jurand on trial (19-10, 34′). It could have made two more points but Hervé touches the post on this more than easy transformation.
Joris Jurand finishes the very nice Brivist action
Toulon tries to pick up the score just before the break. After a Brivist offside, Takulua tries the penalty but stays short on his attempt (37′). If the spirits heat up, the RCT seems to finish a little better and uses its power in front to get a new penalty, this time thanks to a maul. Takulua corrects the situation (19-13, 39′). Gervais Cordin misjudges Hervé’s kickoff and it will be a last touch to manage for the RCT, a touch at 5 meters. And the shot was blocked by Retief Marais, so Brive had the last chance of the period. But the defense is resisting well in its 22 meters. And it’s the break with this six-point lead for the CAB. A CAB which scored two very good tries, but beware of the power of the Toulon forwards. Toulon has not said its last word.
Second period: a red that changes everything
Toulon is generous to start the period. Raphaël Lakafia misses his reception and commits a forward. The pack then gains a penalty on the push. Hervé rewards the work of his forwards (22-13, 43′). Brive relies on the play of its forwards to push back the Toulon and obtain penalties. First, it’s Dan Malafosse who will scratch a ball on the ground. Then again, the scrum wins a penalty. Unfortunately, these actions will leave traces. First, the second row must give way to Lucas Paulos then it will be the turn of Luka Japaridze, hit in the knee, who is replaced by Soso Bekoshvili. Brive settles down well in the Toulon camp and Enzo Hervé is preparing for the drop. After perhaps missing the mark on the last action of the first period, the opener now tries it but he is blocked (51′). Muller also wants to show that he too has broken tackles. The Argentinian breaks two tackles and enters the 22 Toulon, it follows and Hayden Thompson-Stringer is tackled high by Paia’aua. After video, the opener’s shoulder hits the head of the Brivist pillar. Red card for Toulon (54′). Hervé takes the opportunity to add 3 more points (25-13, 55′).
The fact of the game that changed the dynamics of the match
If this fact of play is to the advantage of Brivists, it will ultimately have the opposite effect.. Quickly, Toulon gets a penalty that Takulua transforms even if the choice of the touchdown at 5 meters seemed a better option (25-16, 58′). Brive falls into a false rhythm while Toulon refocuses on his pack. The CAB is in the opposing camp but is penalized on the ground. The Toulonnais are organized around a maul which leads to a scrum for Brive. But the Brivist pack is sanctioned. The forwards pound the Briviste line and by dint of trying, it ends up passing. In a mouse hole, Beka Gigashvili scores and totally relaunches his team (25-23, 67′). Despite their numerical inferiority, the RCT is in a position to be able to win this meeting. The game loses its common thread but the CAB has possession in the Toulon camp. The defense is taken at fault. In corner, Hervé misses the target, his third failure of the evening (72′). The teams play kicking to push the opponent to fault. Muller is penalized for a high tackle and Toulon returns to the Brivist camp. The RCT approached the 22 Brivists and Bekoshvili did not get out of the tackle-tackle zone. Golden opportunity for Toulon. Tane Tukulua rushes forward but … misses the mark (77′). Toulon tries everything for everything but commits a forward on the halfway line moments before the end of the match. Brive must ensure this last scrum and that’s what happens. We are now playing “balloon hiding”, we multiply the groupings to run the stopwatch. The siren sounds and if Julien Blanc is caught in the group, it is Enzo Hervé who hits in touch and seals another CAB victory. The red card changed the face of the meeting and it turned to the advantage of Toulon. Brive was jostled but pocketed the 4 points of victory.
Technical sheet
Brive : 2 tries by Buliruarua (15 ‘) and Jurand (34’); 5 penalties (12 ‘, 20’, 26 ‘, 43’, 55 ‘) from Hervé; 1 yellow card for Muller (2 ‘)
1 Thompson-Stringer (Brennan) – 2 Acquier (36 ‘Narisia) – 3 Japaridze (50’ Bekoshvili) – 4 Malafosse (48 ‘Paulos) – 5 Lees – 6 R.Marais – 7 Hirèche (Cap) – 8 Kamikamica (63 ‘Voisin) – 9 Lobzhanidze (59’ Blanc) – 10 Hervé – 11 Muller – 12 Galletier – 13 Buliruarua – 14 Bituniyata – 15 Jurand (55 ‘Galala)
Toulon : 2 tries by Etzebeth (24 ‘) and Gigashvili (67’); 2 conversions and 3 penalties (32 ‘, 39’, 58 ‘) from Takulua; 1 red card for Paia’aua (54 ‘)
1 Devaux (49 ‘Fresia) – 2 Etrillard (Cap) (49’ Tolofua) – 3 Setiano (49 ‘Gigashvili) – 4 Etzebeth – 5 Alainu’uese – 6 Rebbadj – 7 Ory (68’ Jolmes) (74 ‘Hoarau) – 8 Lakafia – 9 Takulua – 10 Paia’aua – 11 Dridi – 12 Dakuwaqa – 13 Toeva – 14 Cordin (68 ‘Dachary) – 15 Heem
In short
Again a suspenseful ending but this time Brive was in the hunted position. The fear of reviewing the scenario of the match against Racing 92 was very present and the play almost fell on the wrong side this time. But we have to believe that during this winter, Brive has a star above his head and that nothing can happen to him. The first period was of very good quality with very good movements and in particular two tries. After the break, we had to contain the Toulon power. The red card collected by the RCT reinforced this option and Toulon was very close to victory. Finally, Brivists clinch another victory, the sixth in seven games. Large points taken for maintenance before going to Bayonne in two weeks.
Images : Rugby+
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