Defeated in the final against Bordeaux-Bègles, the RCT Espoirs failed just short of the in-goal area
The cheers that echoed down from the stands of the Leucate municipal stadium came from the west of the single stand. The Union Bordeaux-Bègles delegation vigorously celebrated the success of their hopefuls against Toulon, at the end of a close match that they generally dominated (22-17).
It was the team of Andréa Sacco, 2025 French champion in the Reichel Espoirs Élite category, who lifted the shield and validated their very good season (four defeats).
The Girondins showed their mettle from the start: on a flash from Louis Warisse, they obtained a scrum 5 meters out, an ideal launch for Matéo Lavasele's converted try.
However, the RCT did not panic and then forced their opponent into making mistakes on numerous occasions. "We were not always rewarded in our scrums. The guys did what they had to do," commented the general manager of the Toulon Espoirs after the match.
Lohan Sabbia then took it upon himself to punish these Unionist errors: he scored three penalties, giving his team the lead (7-9, 27th). But before halftime, Toulon cracked and the UBB striker added three easy points.
After the break, Bordeaux put the pressure on. RCT committed yet another foul, repeating the same pattern for Warisse, who scored another penalty, followed by his substitute Joseph Laharrague, who scored another 55-meter penalty after the hour mark, extending Bordeaux's lead to seven (16-9, 65th).
On a well-constructed move, and even though the Var bench was asking to take the points, Sabbia cleverly shifted Édouard Sabotin-Desclaud, who scored a try that was not converted.
Slippery balloons and fatal indisciplineBordeaux's response followed: two consecutive penalties from Laharrague gave his team a comfortable cushion to ensure they were never caught. Sabbia's late penalty changed nothing.
Léo Ametlla's team narrowly missed lifting the shield, which Toulon has not won since 2019. But they only had themselves to blame yesterday, and their numerous forward passes, most of which were avoidable. "We were a bit too undisciplined. There was fatigue due to the temperature too," argued the RCT captain.
The Varois didn't turn the wind in their favor; it was the same gusts that played against them. "I didn't get the impression that they were superior to us. They were opportunistic and managed the wind better than us," lamented the RCT coach, before his UBB counterpart confirmed: "Luckily we had the wind at our backs in the second half. We knew it was a decisive support with our foot players."
Var-Matin
