Pro D2. A solid Rouen Normandie Rugby pays for itself Oyonnax
Through Normandy editorial staff
Published on
Timorised at the start of the game, the players Rouen (Seine-Maritime) gradually came to their senses to overwhelm Oyonnax (25-16) on Friday, October 22, 2021 at Robert Diochon stadium. The performance is of choice against an opponent in great shape who remains on four successes in a row including a retention in Vannes (6-23).
The Normans thus partly erased their two consecutive losses at home against Colomiers (19-24) and especially Grenoble against which they had not weighed (16-21), except in stoppage time by going for the defensive bonus on an essay by Cazale-Débat.
Under pressure from the start, the Normans managed to resist two mauls in their 15 meters, recovering the ball on an opportunistic counter-ruck (4th).
The game was chopped up by the inaccuracies and the whistle blows of the referee who waved a yellow card under the nose of Luatua, the center of the RNR, for a high tackle yet all in restraint (7th). The Normans took advantage of the mistakes of the Oyomen in touch to recover possessions and were also superior in melee. Oyonnax however ended up taking advantage of his numerical superiority to register a first corner try by his winger Sweetnam who inherited a kick to follow from Le Bourhis (0-7, 16th).
Lydon’s strike force allows the Lions to establish themselves once again in the 22 opponents for a short-lived penalty, Gontinéac failing to control the ball on an attempt to play off (21st). The RNR scored its first points on a penalty from Michallet (3-7, 26th), sanctioning a litany of Oyonnax faults, some tackles would have even deserved the video analysis according to the Norman staff.
Rouen freed
The RNR was finally released, more bite, more serious in the conservation of the ball even if Milhorat committed a forward. When recovering from a candle on the center line, Lydon demonstrated the power of his left foot and brought the Lions back to Oyo’s heels (6-7, 30 ‘).
The Normans were enterprising, they multiplied the playing times and believed in the test when the young Costa snorted in the in-goal. Alas, Megdoud’s pass was slightly forward. Whatever, the referee returned to the visitors’ offside, offering Michallet the opportunity to place his family in charge of the game (9-7, 40th). The best was to come, with the number of Megdoud who recovered his little kick to follow in the 22, eliminated two opponents to score under the posts (16-7, 40th + 3).
Just after the resumption, Gontineac had the bad idea to understand an act of anti-gambling which earned him a yellow card (47th). Oyonnax did not hesitate to transform the penalty (16-10, 48th). The Normans nevertheless regained the initiative but Michallet narrowly missed a 40m goal (50th). They might push, the referee did not grant the try he claimed Burger and his partners (52nd). Calculator, Oyonnax took the points to remember dangerously (16-13, 58th).
Back at 15, the RNR got the air on two new penalties from Michallet while the visitors were in turn inferior (22-13, 64th). The Bourhis maintained the suspense (22-16, 66th) but the red card against Sanday, author of a headline on Megdoud, fell as a gift for the RNR and Michallet (25-16, 69th). Despite a few cold sweats in the melee, he held a valuable victory.
In the standings, Rouen is 11th with 17 points. Friday, October 29, Les Lions move to Montauban. A difficult trip since this opponent remains on a beautiful victory at home, Thursday, October 21, against the leader Mont-de-Marsan (21-18).
Post-match reactions
Nicolas Godignon (Rouen coach) : “This match looks like our team, it’s their real face. The intensity was there, the determination too. Everything is not perfect, there is still a lot of work to do, but a good team from Oyonnax who is a leader in the championship still falls. I also welcome the urge of the guys not to want to take a try in the last few minutes, even though the game was already won. There was solidarity. The boys drew the victory in a beautiful way. Everyone was involved, in place, like at the start of the season, but with one more thing. “
Jordan Michallet (Rouen opener) : “We were somewhat forced to win after two defeats. We wanted to totally change our state of mind, especially after the match against Grenoble. Even if we had taken a point, the content was not what we wanted to offer. Tonight, however, we are happy with our performance. Apart from the test at the start of the match, we did not concede too many points in our weak times. We did simple things and put more pressure on the feet compared to other matches. When you hold the ball, you are still performing well against a team like Oyonnax. “
Lucas Costa (3rd row from Rouen): “For my first game with the pros, I discovered a different level from what I had known until then, that of the Espoirs. I still had the chance to play the preparation matches. I had not seen this tenure coming. I had been the 25th player several times (excluding the scoresheet) and for me it was already a sign of significant confidence on the part of the staff. I was very surprised to start and tried not to put pressure on myself. Tonight, what pride, the whole team played a very big game. “
Alain Geslin
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