French Top 14 round three: Agen surprises Biarritz
Agen was able to claw their way to their first victory of the season over Biarritz at home on the weekend.
Agen upset Biarritz in a very close game dominated by penalties at Stade Armandie. Agen was able to take a solid 15 point lead into the break. After halftime the home side did just enough to hold off a pressing Biarritz, fighting their way to a 28-23 victory.
Recap
Agen got the scoring started in the fourth minute with a penalty from Valentin Courrent giving the hosts an early 3-0 advantage.
Biarritz countered with a penalty of their own from Marcelo Bosch in the game’s 10th minute, knotting it up at three.
From that point forward Courrent took control of the half, slotting home five consecutive penalties to give Agen an impressive 18-3 lead at halftime.
After the break Biarritz seemed determined to get back into the match. The club was awarded a penalty try in the 49rd minute and Bosch tallied the conversion to bring the match to 18-10.
Bosch then hammered through a penalty in the 53rd minute to cut Agen’s lead to five.
However, in the 59th minute winger Kevin Swiryn managed to get across the whitewash for the home side’s only try on the day. Courrent made no mistake with the extra points and the lead was stretched to 25-13.
Biarritz battled back late as Adrien Ayestaran darted his way over the try-line in the 71st minute and Jean Pascal Barraque kicked the conversion to reduce the deficit to 25-20.
Unfortunately for Biarritz, Courrent put the game out of reach with a penalty in the 74th minute. Barraque tacked on a penalty of his own in the 77th minute. However, it would never be enough as Agen claimed the upset.
Analysis
Agen played their first strong match of the season on their way to their first victory. Nevertheless, they relied heavily on Courrent who knocked down seven penalties and a conversion for 23 points. If Agen hope to compete throughout the season they will need to start registering more tries.
Biarritz meanwhile fall to 1-1 with the loss. They have had a difficult time finding their form this season and a loss to a bottom of the table Agen side could prove to be a devastating. Biarritz allowed penalties in the first half to spoil what could have been a win after earning two tries in the second stanza.
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