Finale de la Coupe de France Lord Derby
Lézignan 28 (6) - 17 (11) SM Pia XIII
16 April 2011 - Stade Albert Domec de Carcassonne,
FC Lezignan successfully defended the Lord Derby Cup on Sunday in Carcassonne, overturning a Pia side that had dominated for an hour.
"We cracked physically...Lézignan deserves its victory," said Arty Shead following the Audois’s dramatic second-half comeback. Had Pia made more of its territorial supremacy Lezignan would not have had a sniff after a one-sided first half. "The try they scored just before the break put them back in the match," said a rueful Maxim Grésèque, who once again controlled a Pia side that was more about style than substance.
Lézignan dropped a lot of ball, but Pia were not able to take advantage. Two sweeping attacks, orchestrated by Nabil Djalout, Fred Cermeno and Grésèque all had the Aude defences in pieces, but the Salanquais only managed to turn Neale Wyatt’s break into a 10th minute try, by the mercurial Greseque, and score again through Thomas Ambert nine minutes before the break.
But Nicolas Piquemal scored the first of his hat-trick two minutes before halftime to cut the deficit to 11-6. Greseque scored his second four minutes after the re-start to put the Catalans back on the front foot but their joy was shortlived. Frank Rovira and Pierre Negre combined well to put former Cronulla and Salford forward Phillip Leuluai over for a brilliant try.
As Pia began to flag errors began creeping into their game. Ambert passed forward ten metres from his own line, leading to Jye Mullane’s try which, for the first time, gave FCL the lead, 18-17. As Pia desperately sought a second wind, Lezignan grew in stature. A try was disallowed for a forward pass before Piquemal scored his second on 73 minutes for a 22-17 lead. He put the icing on the cake on 78 minutes with his third.
5350 spectateurs.
Lézignan
Tries : Piquemal (38, 73, 77), Leuluaï (49), Jye Mullane (63). Goals: Tribillac 2, Nathan 2
Pia
Tries : Maxime Grésèque (10, 44), Thomas Ambert (31). Goals : Frédéric Cermeno 2. 1 drop Maxime Grésèque
LEZIGNAN
Duggan – Piquemal ; Quintilla ; Bringuier ; Poggi – Mullane ; Wynn – Griffi ; Mathieu Albérola ; Rovira – Nègre ; Clottes – Andrew Bentley. Subs : Bourrel ; Leuluaï ; Bousquet ; Tribillac.
PIA
Carrère – Ambert ; Bauer ; Kingston ; Cermeno – Grésèque ; Moly – Shead ; Kane Bentley ; Lamelangi – Djalout ; Wyatt – Vaeau. Subs: Janicot; Alexis Albérola; Léger; Boudebza.