Two years after its relegation to the National, the Damiers had the opportunity to find the Pro D2 this Saturday after the semi-final return against Albi. After a perfectly negotiated first leg (20-7), the Drôme club had to manage to validate its rise in a Pompidou stadium almost sold out.
Determined to clear the affront of the first leg and especially the first period, the Albigensians send the game into the Damiers camp. But the defense is very solid and this long streak ends in a failed drop attempt.
At the end of a new long action of play, the Checkers recover the ball in the 22 m opposing. Joris Moura is served on the outside, and sees an interval open up in front of him. He accelerates, overtaking the Tanais defenders, and scores in the corner the first try of the VRDR (5-0.7th).
The shocks are very intense between the two teams. The Drôme defense eventually gave in under the pressure of the Albigensians, who played all the shots thoroughly. On a throw in touch 5 m from the in-goal of the VRDR, Luke Stringer (n ° 6 Albi) inherits the ball with surprise. He scores in force the equalization try for Albi, deserved (5-5.30th).
The VRDR is back on the attack, and Adam Vargas believes he is scoring his twelfth try of the season, on a good action. But the linesman signals a forward pass between Joris Moura and Adam Vargas. On the scrum that follows, the Checkers get a penalty, and Joris Moura adds three points (8-5.37th).
With only three points ahead at the break, but 16 in the aggregate score, Albi shows a much better face than last week, and gives Johann Authier’s players a hard time.
Unfortunately, the rain invites itself into this match and intensifies at the start of the second period, making the conditions of the game more complicated. ).
Albi gets his hands on the ball and occupies the 22 m from Drôme. Kévin Goze, barely entered the game, receives a yellow card following several faults of the Checkers. But once again, the VRDR defense proves intractable and recovers the ball. The Tarnais also find themselves at 14 for a bad gesture.
The end of the match falls into the irrational. Albi gets a penalty 5m from the line. The center is extracted from the maul and goes to score the try which gives the advantage for the first time of the match to Albi. We then think that Albi will win this return match.
But on the last action of the match, the Damiers get their hands on the ball. As a symbol, Alexis Armory, captain of the Checkers, recovers the ball and goes to score the try which gives the advantage to the VRDR, on the last action (18-12).
The Damiers win and will return to the Pro D2 next season.
Reactions:
Laurent Beaugiraud (co-president VRDR) : “It’s a great script. I remember the victory because it is important to be undefeated in 2023 at Pompidou and then obviously the climb. It is the culmination of a lot of work. Last year we failed against Soyaux-Angoulême which is a very good team and we can see it this year since they are holding their own. We worked hard, we aimed high this year, we said we would get the Pro D2. There are always a few guys who don’t believe us, but we showed them today that they had to count on the Damiers in the years to come. We’re going to enjoy tonight. We will go to Tarbes in the country of our captain Alexis Amary, to win this final, it’s great. I have a thought for the Albigenses, for the leaders, for the players because I know what it is to lose. It’s a club that went down a few years ago, it’s very complicated to come back up and I have a thought for them because it’s a lot of effort, a lot of sacrifices, a lot of commitment and that is hard.”
François Uys (2nd line VRDR) : “That was our goal from the start of the season, after last year’s disappointment. it feels good, really, there are a lot of players who are going to leave the club, Johann who is going to leave the club, a lot of staff to leave the club in Pro D2 in a better state than we found, that’s good, it’s fun. Albi is a great team there is not much between us in terms of quality and not too much difference. We expected Albi to be stronger and more determined than last week.”
Johann Authier (VRDR manager) : “We showed control throughout the game. This is the result of the work we have done throughout the season. We will now take advantage of all this because the club is going up to Pro D2. There is a feeling of a job well done, of duty accomplished. Now I have given instructions for the evening to the players, and we will see if it is followed.
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