Leval saw off Fos Provence 27:24 in Pro B on Friday evening, keeping their home record intact despite both sides arriving in poor form. The hosts had dropped three of their last four fixtures before this one, while the visitors were coming off a run of defeats that stretched back to their only win in five.
What made this one worth watching was the context. Leval had lost 57:65 to Boulogne-sur-Mer and 85:100 to Aix-Maurienne in their previous two outings, while Fos Provence had been beaten by Hyères-Toulon, Evreux, and Hyères-Toulon again. By then you'd expect nerves to set in, and nerves showed in the way the game played out.
and here's the thing — we'd called for the home side to win with 64 per cent confidence, and it panned out. Not that it was straightforward. Fos Provence refused to go away, kept it within striking distance right through, and only folded when the pressure finally told.
The result means Leval stay in the hunt, while Fos Provence's struggles continue. Both teams are well below where they'd want to be at this stage, and neither can afford another slip if they're to salvage something from the campaign.
It wasn't a classic, but it was a match decided by the teams who wanted it more. Leval held their nerve when it mattered, and that's what separates them from Fos Provence right now.
