Provence Rugby beat Colomiers 18-13 on Thursday night at Stade Michel-Bendichou, in the opening game of Round 2 of Pro D2. The Aix side played almost an hour with fourteen men after Hugo Ndiaye’s red card, shown in the 21st minute for a shoulder to the head of Richard Hardwick, then with thirteen in the last quarter of an hour after Caleb Muntz was yellow-carded.

Two tries and Cazenave’s boot

The visitors had gone ahead before the red card through an Adrien Lapègue try in the 14th minute, then doubled their tally through Setareki Bituniyata in the 37th, set up by a dummy pass from Joris Cazenave. Colomiers replied through Alberto Carmona just before half-time, then through Grégoire Bazin in the 59th.

Cazenave’s boot made the difference, with two penalties in the 50th and 55th minutes. Colomiers lost their scrum-half Jules Danglot to a head injury assessment early in the second half.

Eleven lineouts lost

The number that sums up the evening concerns set-piece possession. Colomiers lost eleven lineouts. In the last quarter of an hour, with a two-man advantage and two throws inside the opposition 30-metre area, they could not convert.

“In the second half, we have three or four chances to score and go ahead, but we don’t take them,” summed up back row and captain Luka Plataret. For Provence, Philippe Saint-André pointed to the same area, from the other side: “I don’t know how many balls we stole at the lineout, probably around ten.”

The same script as in May

It is not the first time Provence have won on this pitch this year. On 29 May, in the Pro D2 semi-final, the Aix side had already won there 36-28 before losing the final to Vannes.

After two rounds, the table clearly separates the two clubs. Provence Rugby have two wins, including a try bonus point against Agen in Round 1 (44-10), and nine points. Colomiers, beaten on the opening day at Soyaux-Angoulême (38-26) and then at home, have just one, the losing bonus point from Thursday.