Bok breaks two ex-Wales players hearts as big spending Nissa Rugby fluff lines

What looked like a cake-walk for the millionaires of Nissa turned into a monumental shock, as Narbonne mounted a 20-point comeback to claim the Nationale, France’s third division, in the final at Stade Marcel-Verchère.

Nissa, who had finished second in the regular season, qualified for the final following a 25-19 win over Chambéry. As for Narbonne, they earned a play-off berth after finishing fifth, but had to overcome RC Massy and SC Albi in the quarter-finals and semi-finals to reach the decider.

With former Wales internationals Tyler Morgan and Owen Williams in the starting line-up, Nissa controlled proceedings for most of the opening half, building a 17-point lead before the break. Italian outside back David Odiete scored the game’s first try, with Morgan adding a brilliant finish of his own minutes later. Owen Williams added 10 points from the tee.

Narbonne were limited to just three points from Thibault Santoro, as the oranges et noirs had no answer to Nissa’s forward pack, who asserted their dominance throughout the opening half.

Nothing suggested that Narbonne would be able to pull off a comeback, as the score remained unchanged until the 58th minute, with Narbonne reduced to 14 players for 10 minutes.

However, it seemed destiny had other plans, and it all started when Jules Veyrier landed his side’s first five-pointer, duly converted by Santoro. As Nissa’s indiscipline began to mount, Narbonne kept the pressure on, with Santoro adding two more penalties to spark belief in a comeback.

After several attempts, and with fans on the edge of their seats, the unlikely moment arrived when former Springbok winger Aphiwe Dyantyi scored from a pick-and-go with only three minutes left on the clock.

Nissa pushed desperately to reclaim the lead, but their efforts were dealt a blow when Bastien Berenguel was sent to the sin bin for bringing down Dyantyi in the air, reducing them to 14 men.

Without rushing to restart play, Narbonne allowed the clock to wind down, sealing the Nationale title and promotion to ProD2, four years after their relegation.

As for Nissa, the defeat was a massive blow to their ambitions, as the club made a considerable investment in their squad, signing the likes of Jordan Taufua, Guillaume Rouet, Owen Williams, Waisea Nayacalevu, Atila Septar, Josh Tyrell, Adrian Motoc and Tyler Morgan, all in the hope of earning promotion to ProD2.

However, they still have a chance to achieve their ultimate goal, as they face Stade Montois next week in a winner-takes-all clash scheduled for May 31.