Pont-du-Casse snatched a narrow 29-28 victory over Saint-Juéry thanks to a late corner try from Lucas Tolot, converted by his brother Hugo, in a match where gritty determination trumped polished play.
You have to know how to win with lousy rugby, and that’s precisely what the “Tangos” did against Saint-Juéry, despite a sluggish start. A strong try from Valentin Bonnet, set up by a clever chistera pass from Hugo Tolot to winger Mahel roux, initially put Cassipontins ahead (7-0, 4th), but the team suffered from a disrupted schedule with two postponed matches before facing USVL and then Nérac, leading to a lack of rhythm. They were on the back foot and frequently penalized by the young Basque referee. Saint-Juéry took a deserved lead at halftime (10-14, 40th) with two tries from their forwards. Claude Margnac’s team then conceded a penalty try and a well-taken interval shot from the Payen center immediately after the restart (10-21, 43rd).
Unable to generate consistent offensive momentum, the locals relied on the kicking of Hugo Tolot, who narrowed the gap with a series of successful penalties (19-21, 63rd). However, a poor kick from Felix Ascensao and a lost touch by the “orange and black” allowed the Calvel pillar to extend Saint-Juéry’s lead (19-28, 65th).
This left Régadous supporters feeling pessimistic, but a resurgence in “money time” saw a brilliant collective move culminating in a final try from Lucas Tolot.
The try sparked relief among Lou Ponnau’s teammates, as Hugo Tolot successfully added the conversion. Despite missing a penalty in a promising position at the very end of the match, the team secured the victory (29-28, 80th). This valuable win boosts COP’s qualification chances ahead of next Sunday’s derby against USVL.
Pont-du-Casse 29 – Saint-Juéry 28
M.-T. : 10-14.
Arbitrator : Horgo Andg nlao Great (N.-A.).
Evolution you score : 7-0, 7-7, 10-7, 10-14 ; 10-21, 13-21, 16-21, 19-21, 19-28, 22-29, 29-28.
Winners : 2 E Bonnet (4), L. Tolot (76); 2 T and 5 P H. Tolot (23, 51, 59, 63, 73).
Defeated : 4 E raynal (18), Schmidt (35), Payen (43), Calvel (65); 4 T Roudière.
PONT-DU-CASSE : H. Tolot ; Roux, Dumas, E.Tolot, L. Tolot ; (o) Erbani, (m) Lauzun; Ponnnel (cap.), Bourjade, Private; Bonnet, Giacomin; Gauthier, Carioli, Fakataulavelu. Entrance in play: ribal, Delpech, Montcouilloux, Renown, Peyronin, Margnac,
Exp.temp. : Prion (33), Fakataulavelua (55).
SAINT-JUERY : Souyri ; Size, Ducros, Payen, Langle; (o) Roudiere (cap.), (m) Tournier; Raynal, Slimak, Rousseau ; Schmidt, Ducros; bald, Marceau, Garcia. Entrance in play: Bernat, Janik,
exp. temp. : Garcia (47).
Reserves : COP 17-Saint-Juéry 10.
