They were in Pro D2. In the 80th minute of the Montpellier-Brive match, the Corréziens, trailing 26 to 20, were officially relegated. Then, in a final burst, the forwards pushed to register, by Bruni and two minutes after the siren, a test full of rage. And selflessness for a team reduced to 14 from the 22nd minute and the expulsion of winger Alex Muller. The foot of Nicolas Sanchez, the Argentinian opener landed during the season, did not tremble, offering a crazy and unexpected success (26-27) to his people.
“I didn’t think too much about the last transformation I typed it normally. I just did what I do every day, taking the time,” commented the cold-blooded striker. Combined with the defeat of Perpignan in Lyon, the CAB returned to 4 points from 13th place, occupied by Usap. With two days to go, the miracle remains possible…
Quickly becoming a part of the CAB, of which he was the captain on the lawn of the champion of France, Nicolas Sanchez recounted the emotions crossed. “It is in adversity that we recognize the real teams. We arrived late at the stadium, we take a red…, but we didn’t let go. Even if it was not easy, we fought until the end. It was complicated, but we made the effort in defense to hold on. At the 60th, we were in Pro D2 but we didn’t know it. We won the opportunity to fight at least one more week…”
Brive’s emblematic rear, Thomas Laranjeira savored the feat at its fair value. “It’s a match that will live on in the club’s memories and history! Winning at 14 with the French champions is huge. There were complicated moments but the state of mind allowed us to stay in the game. It’s a very good operation…”
The enormous joy of the Brivistes at the final whistle indicates that hope has returned, that everything is now possible. “We had moments in the season when we were unlucky, it’s turning,” says Laranjeira. This is confirmed by the coach of three-quarters of the CAB, Jean-Baptiste Péjoine. “At the end, we knew that Perpignan had lost and we had a little time left, which boosted the players on the pitch. (…) As long as we are alive, everything is possible. Are we gonna die next weekend? I do not believe that. Neither do the players. We will need a white-hot stadium next week…”
Next week, Brive will receive Castres when Perpignan will host Stade Toulousain. Reverse posters during the 26th and last day (Toulouse-Brive, Castres-Perpignan). The fight promises to be hot. Until the last second for an ultimate miracle?