Weather: 14°. Cloudy
Pitch: No grass but soft
Kickoff: 12:00
Spectators: 37
Ref: M. Pétré (*****)
Team:
Scorers:
Tries: Robert Irons (2), Martin Pacaud, Eloy Genest, Bart Ressat, Harry Green
Conversions: Martin Pacaud (3), Baptiste Lachaise
Penalty: Martin Pacaud
After a long winter break and two disappointing games at ASUB (narrow win) and Frameries (draw) where the level of rugby played was far from the best the team can play, Luxembourg U17 had something prove to themselves and to the Cessange public.
Receiving the team at the bottom of the table was, in theory, the best way to restart the season and display a good performance but Luxembourg Cadets knew also how tricky these games can be and are only easy if the team plays at its best.
And so they did from the start of the game. Receiving the kick off and unlike in the previous two games, Luxembourg forwards kept control of the ball and were well supported by a back line disposed to run with it. Always moving forward, the first break came on the 4th minute when Robert Irons scored the first points taking advantage of a good team move ending with the attackers outnumbering the defenders and giving him the space needed to come from the back and score. Four minutes later Christian Olsen, always imperial in the line outs, conquered the ball in a line out for BUC. The ball was quickly recycled to the backs where Gauthier Lachaise found space in the defence and with a perfect timed pass sent Martin Pacaud to the try line. On the 21st minute, another excellent scrum got the ball from a BUC introduction. Some quick hands and Robert Irons once again came with speed to beat the defence. A few minutes later, a clever and quick decision from Harry Green ended in another try. BUC conceded a penalty near their 22, argued with the referee and the penalty moved 10m further close to the try line. Harry didn’t wait much, picked up the ball and crossed the try line. Just after the restart, Luxembourg got the ball with good hands, went for a couple of rucks and when the ball was recycled, Eloy Genest came in speed from the wing to the middle taking all the defence by surprise. After a run of 60m he scored in the middle of the posts. Martin Pacaud converted 3 tries and one penalty, Baptiste Lachaise converted another try for a score at half time 36-0.
After a superb first half where Luxembourg Cadets were superior in every aspect of the game which translated in 4 very good collective tries, second half was much poorer. Going back to some old habits of conceding soft penalties, a bit of individualism and some handling errors, the game became much less fluid and even a bit boring as the sound coming from the referee’s whistle could be heard every minute. The only interesting phase came only on the 46th minute when finally Luxembourg managed a collective move. After a good scrum, the forwards negotiated well two rucks before putting the backs on the move. The ball went to the wing where Bart Ressat had the talent to beat two defenders by diving over the try line. Till the end, the game didn’t change much and the clock just ran while scrums and penalties were played. Final score Luxembourg 41 – BUC 0
At the end, a good victory for Luxembourg Cadets, with a clean sheet and a bonus point which consolidates the 3rd place in Division 1 and practically guarantees a presence in the final playoffs.
The final word goes for a valiant BUC team which never gave up trying to minimise the difference in the score and always played in a very good spirit and also for an excellent refereeing from M. Piétré.
Man of the Match: Christian Olsen
