Provence Rugby Climbs to Third in Pro D2 with Narrow Victory Over Colomiers
Colomiers suffered a heartbreaking 10-12 defeat at the Michel-Bendichou stadium on sunday, as Provence Rugby secured a vital win thanks to a strong second-half performance driven by their substitutes. The victory propels Provence Rugby into third place in the Pro D2 standings, temporarily, while Colomiers remain close behind in second.
Both teams entered the match with strong recent form – four wins in their last five games – and separated by just five points in the league table (Colomiers with 31 points, provence Rugby with 26). The tightly contested nature of the game reflected this, with a first half dominated by tactical kicking and intense pressure at the breakdown.
Provence Rugby initially trailed after Delpy’s 21st-minute penalty (3-0) and a 28th-minute try from Timu, converted by Delpy, extending Colomiers’ lead to 10-0. Though, Cazenave responded just before halftime with a clever try (10-7) following a sustained period of pressure from the visitors.
The decisive moment came in the 61st minute when Tui, recently returning from injury, scored a try after a powerful maul and a well-executed diagonal pass from Finau (10-12). Despite numerous attempts and 11 missed points, Colomiers were unable to regain the lead.
Provence Rugby’s coach, Denis Philipon, saw his team execute a superb operation, moving to 32 points in the standings, almost level with Colomiers’ 30. Next week, Colomiers will host Nevers, while provence rugby travels to Aurillac.
