Border Telegraph | Sport | French take revenge

Monday, 13th October, 2008

Published: Wednesday, 21st December, 2005 10:29

French take revenge

By Border Telegraph Sport

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Brive 34, Border Reivers 28

BRIVE turned the tables on Border Reivers in the European Challenge Cup when they got them back to their own patch.

But veteran stand off Gregor Townsend, himself back on familiar ground, was in no doubt that his side have learned a lot from their twin meetings with the French outfit and are in good shape for the pair of Scottish derbies they now face.

He said: “While our finishing needs to improve, we did score three tries in both matches. Though we missed a couple close to their line, in this match at least we were getting line breaks. If we can convert that pressure we can definitely take it forward.”

Townsend also remarked that in game one Brive backs had gone through Reivers as though they were playing touch rugby. That didn’t happen in France. But Brive did score four tries and, making it all the more frustrating, Reivers very much contributed to their own downfall.

This started virtually from the kick off when Reivers spoke out at the first penalty award.

The kick was advanced from midfield to the Reivers’ twenty two and home left winger Martin Bottini was soon kicking to his opposite number Charly Platekt for the opening try.

Five minutes later no10 Maxim Petitjean added a penalty to his conversion and Brive were 10-0 ahead before as many minutes had passed.

However, the visiting pack settled and began to show the fine form that allowed them to come out winners in their area of the game.

Charlie Hore kicked a penalty and Reivers were settled on the attack when the next catastrophe occurred. Hoare and Townsend messed up a loop move on Brive’s twenty two and the ball was cleverly booted to the Reivers’ line where Platekt grabbed his second try with Petitjean converting.

Soon after, a rush of blood by Semo Setiti saw him sin binned. While he was off the only score was a second Hoare penalty but when a ten minute period in the sin bin in the middle of the second half for John Dalziel is added in, no wonder the Reivers stamina ran out late on.

However there was no hint of this as the early part of the second half was played in Brive territory.

Hore was soon adding his third penalty. English referee Robert Debney had awarded it for a high tackle but, unlike the Border players, the offender remained on the field.

When Ben MacDougall sent in Simon Danielli for a fine try, converted from touch by Hoare, Reivers had brought the score back to 17-16.

However the time down to 14 men took its toll. Suddenly Brive could maul 15 metres and win a penalty kicked by Petitjean.

Then huge Tongan Tunufai Tavalea broke off a driven maul to lope in for a try and almost immediately another forward sub, Amadee Domenech, was doing the same.

But the Reivers, though beaten, were not down and both Opeta Palepoi and Dalziel scored tries in stoppage time.

Towsend’s promise about what the Reivers will take forward is tested at Murrayfield on Boxing Day. Not the least interesting individual test ahead of the Six Nations is that between Toony, the old master, and Edinburgh’s young pretender to the no10 jersey Phil Godman.

Brive: J Dalla Riva; C Platek, C Leite, C Marienval, M Bottini; M Petitjean, D Neveu; D Rodriguez, J Campo, F Pani, D Drozdz, S Chinarro, F Laurent, A Maleyrie, D Chouly

Border Reivers: C. Macrae; S. Danielli, B. MacDougall, C. Hore, S. Cranston; G. Townsend, B McKerchar; P Thomson, S. Scott, B. Douglas, O. Palepoi, S. MacLeod, J. Dalziel, S. Gray, S. Sititi.

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