Robbie: Aurillac beats New Zealand 37-3 in Pro D2 warm-up

The Aurillac rugby team won their warm-up match against the All Blacks 37-3 before the start of Pro D2.

Before the start of the 2024-25 Pro D2 season, Aurillac impressed in a warm-up match. The team beat New Zealand (37-3) at the Jean-Alric Stadium on Sunday afternoon. “We struggled a bit in the first half (9-3), but we were quick and we were able to put our style of play in place,” said coach Romeo Gentinac. With four tries converted in the second half, the Cantaloupe team showed that they are in good form offensively and should be counted on this year in the Pro D2. “We feel invincible. We know that the goal is to get straight back into the top 14 next year,” says Gentinac.

Victory to put it into perspective

From the All Blacks side, we are exhausted after this defeat. All Blacks coach Scott Robertson watched from the stands and was at a loss for words: “The New Zealand players were completely out of place. They were prepared but they were up against some very heavy weights, there was definitely a weight difference. It’s worth noting that Aurillac won that match against the New Zealand 7-8 Thumbs, whose tallest player is 1m 49in. So we’ll have to put the win in perspective and see how Cantaloux fares against the real New Zealand team, who just beat Provence Rugby in a friendly 383-0. Aurillac has been warned. Will she have the weapons to compete?