the essential Losing to the third place, one of the favorites, is not an infamy. But the Tarn-et-Garonnais can only blame themselves, because of a completely failed first period.
From the first seconds, the Corréziens put the pressure on, with a safe ball, then a dominant scrum. Then the first penalty-touch does nothing, the first intervention in the video refusing a test to the CAB. The locals leave no space for the “Green and Black”, and increase the percussion, imposing a terrible standoff. The USM resists like never before, finds itself numerically inferior, but does not break, even with seven forwards against eight, and a scrum five meters from the line. We had to wait until the tenth minute to see the Brivistes finally find the fault, in a corner (5-0). The USM finally puts its nose to the window again on the kick-off, but has difficulty creating real situations, like his two kicks to follow which go directly into touch. If the USM is largely dominated, it still remains within gunshot of the locals. Not much goes right, but concedes another try following an interception which sends Ferté behind the line. At the time, the USM found itself numerically inferior again (10-0, 21st). The USM cannot get rid of the pressure, and even avoids a third try, narrowly, on a forward (25th). This third try, that of the temporary offensive bonus, arrives in the open field, just before the half-hour mark, following a dominating scrum (17-3, 30th). The USM can finally react to a restart from Baptiste Mouchous, with JT Jackson taking over, but a forward aborts the action. Little, far too little to thrill a Brive team almost on a mission this Thursday evening. And fortunately the CAB scorer is not successful (7 points left on the way in the first half). Just before returning to the locker room, the CAB thought to drive the point home, facing a USM which found itself at 14 for the third time, but the fourth try was invalidated by the video, the touch on the ground not existing. Before the break, USM was doing very well, with only 14 points behind.
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Sébastien Tillous-Borde (manager): “We stayed in our camp for ten minutes after kick-off. We remained under pressure by being undisciplined. We had difficulty expressing ourselves in the first half. We come back to 29 to 22 in the second period, we narrowly miss a try which would perhaps have given a completely different end to the match. Brive was starting to slow down. We believed it. Now, we have been disappointing in what we want to do. We have a team that can do much better, with less slag. I’m disappointed because we played to 30% of our potential. The state of mind was good. I can’t blame the players for that. Too many small mistakes made our task difficult. Now we have a very important match waiting for us next week. I know the values of my group, we just had a non-match, that doesn’t change anything in the value of the players. »
Maxime Espeut (center): “We had one of the worst starts we could have made. Fortunately there was a reaction. What’s crazy is that by only playing 40 minutes we almost did the performance. It’s a shame. We took boxes, we shouldn’t have overlooked discipline. We lose at Brive, it’s just an away defeat for a club aiming to move up. We made the locals stressed at the end of the match. We have regrets, like every time we play without taking points. We learned this evening. The positive is that we came back in the second half, with first-hand tries. »
Collected by Rémi-Constant Belrepayre, in Brive.
The bonus finally for the CAB
The start of the second act starts worse than the first, since it only takes a little over two minutes for the CAB to go behind the line a fourth time, on a wide play, and a small kick to be continued. On the return, the Montalbanais in turn go behind the line, through Josua Vici (22-8, 45th). This second period is much more unbridled, with two teams who play every move… and who take advantage of the mistakes of the others, like on this fifth try of the Corréziens which benefits Dridi again who calmly runs 50 meters before going to score his try (29-8), or this recovery from Josua Vici on a kick to follow from Thomas Fortunel, for his second personal try of the evening (29-15, 57th). He is even close to a hat-trick, on a mismatch, but JT Jackson’s pass is too high (65th). A golden opportunity missed by the Sapiacains who finished stronger, who took away the bonus from their hosts, on a try from Kyllian Ringuet, and who got closer to the defensive, even to victory (29-22, 69th). The last ten minutes are incredibly intense, and it is ultimately the Corréziens who will have the last word… and the bonus.
And now. USM will host Soyaux-Angoulême next Friday (7 p.m.).
## Uneven Performance Costs USM Against Steadfast Brive
**Interview with rugby analyst Jacques Dubois**
**Following last night’s defeat against Brive, were Tarn-et-Garonne faltered after a disappointing first half, we speak with renowned rugby analyst Jacques Dubois for his expert insights.**
**WTN:** **Mr. Dubois, let’s dive straight in. Tarn-et-Garonne’s loss was undoubtedly a painful one. What went wrong for them in that first half?**
**Dubois:** Absolutely. Tarn-et-Garonne seemed wholly overwhelmed in the initial stages. Brive came out firing on all cylinders, demonstrating incredible dominance in their scrum and putting immense pressure on the USM from the get-go. While USM managed to hold strong defensively, especially when numerically disadvantaged, they struggled to create meaningful attacking opportunities.
**WTN:** **Brive’s attacks looked particularly potent, especially with their scrum-based plays. Can you elaborate on that?**
**Dubois:** Brive’s scrum was truly the cornerstone of their success. They consistently won the battle upfront, forcing USM into uncomfortable positions and creating beneficial situations for their backs. The try scored following the dominant scrum just before the half-hour mark was a classic example of how they effectively utilized their forward strength.
**WTN:** **Despite the challenges, USM did manage to keep the scoreline somewhat respectable, especially considering Brive’s several numerical advantages. Is there any solace to be found in that?**
**Dubois:** Absolutely. USM’s defense, even when stretched thin, was commendable. They showed grit and determination to avoid conceding even more tries. The fact that Brive’s kicker wasn’t entirely accurate also saved USM from a perhaps heavier defeat.
**WTN:** **Looking ahead, what does this performance indicate for USM’s upcoming matches? What areas do they need to improve on?
**Dubois:** This loss serves as a stark reminder that Tarn-et-Garonne can’t afford to get caught off guard in the early stages of a game. They need to be more assertive from the kick-off, establish their own rhythm, and avoid the costly errors that plagued them tonight. It’s crucial to find a way to counter teams like Brive who rely on a powerful scrum and vigorous pressure.
**WTN: Thank you for your valuable insights, Mr. Dubois.**
