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Watch - Maxime Lucu turns penalty into dropgoal inside 9 seconds
By Ian Cameron
Sometime France scrumhalf Maxime Lucu somehow turned a botched penalty opportunity into a successful drop goal in a bizarre incident last night in the Top 14.
Seventh-placed Bordeaux faced off against Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle in fifth in a closely contested match at the Stade Marcel Deflandre. Both teams were evenly matched for the most part and put in strong performances, but it was Bordeaux who ultimately emerged victorious with a hard-fought 12-8 win.
The match got off to a tight start, with both teams trading blows in the early stages. Bordeaux took an early lead with a well-struck penalty kick, but La Rochelle responded with a try to level the score.
As the match wore on, Bordeaux began to assert their dominance, with some strong running and accurate kicking putting them in control of the game. La Rochelle fought back bravely, but Bordeaux's defence held strong and they were able to secure a number of crucial turnovers.
However, it was a weird penalty kick by Lucu that caught the eye. Lucu struck the penalty attempt which hit an upright. It bounced down into the hands of a La Rochelle defender, who duly booted it back up the pitch, straight back into the hands of Lucu.
The sometimes France nine didn't need to be asked twice and seeing space in front of him, dropkicked his missed kick right back over the bar, taking the unlikely second chance that fell into his lap.
Luca joined Bordeaux Begles in 2019, having signed from Biarritz where he'd been since 2014. He has since helped lead the team to numerous victories in the Top 14 and the European Rugby Challenge Cup. In addition to his club career, Maxime has also represented France at the international level, earning his first cap for the French national team in 2021. He has 10 caps to date.
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Jalibert should be banned from playing for the French ever again, his rank and self-serving arrogance is so typical of the attitude in French rugby and in their culture as well. I am a Saffa and have lived in France for many years and, generally speaking, it's every man for himself, the team comes 2nd or even 3rd sometimes. The Boks show humility and team spirit and play for their country, never themselves......
Go to commentsI remember there was rhetoric about the new coach coming in and continuing the same system Jones installed. That's obviously gone out the window. It was cool watching those clips from the NZ tour, that was a serious Wolfpack. AB players looked like they were being hunted.
What we have now is a shambles. It clear El Abd doesn't know what he's doing and he has no track record to indicate otherwise. His appointment is ridiculous. Nothing against the bloke but he's only got the job because he's mates with Borthers.
When you look at how poorly organised our defence is and how blunt our attack is (Marcus excepted). It pains me to hear these so called pundits banging on about how close England are to being a top side based on narrow losses. England have massive issues, are a long way from being a good side and do not have the coaches to fix the issues. It's a testament to the quality of the players that they're managing to front up enough to compete with these sides.
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