Rugby, Regional 1 (French Championship Round of 16): Qualification is a given for Nontron

And one more round for the cutlers, sharper than ever and, above all, imperial in defense. Conceding only one try, which was a penalty at that, the guys gave it their all throughout the eighty minutes. And for once, they started this match perfectly by scoring quickly in the fourth minute with a try from Pierre Boinon on a combination practiced in training. With the help of the conversion of Victor Lepretre, once again invaluable in the accuracy of his kicking game (fifteen points).

Two injured and not the least

The coaches' message had therefore been heard by the Nontron players who went it alone during these first forty minutes, dominating in the lineout with counters and prolific in attack with three other tries including a double from Noah Sior in the wing and Martin Mussini just before halftime making the score 29-9, Orléans having responded with only three penalties from its fly-half. The second half in the rain was not of the same ilk as the previous one. "We made too many mistakes by wanting to play too quickly or make one too many passes," admitted Sylvain Charbonnet who praised the defensive quality of his charges. "We never panicked and throughout the match, the instructions were respected so we are very happy to get through this round again." The only downside was the loss to injuries of centers Matéo Vignaud who was feared to have injured his cruciate ligaments and Pierre Boinon with a rib injury. The round of 16 will pit Nontron against Pessac, winners of Saint-Herblain next Sunday on neutral ground.