Top 14: Grenoble escape with win after Brive miss late conversion
Last Updated: 11/10/14 1:32am
Gaetan Germain missed a late conversion as Grenoble held on to defeat Brive 26-25 in their Top 14 clash at Stade des Alpes.
Grenoble were well in control approaching the hour mark before Brive rallied through a try from Dominiko Waqaniburotu and a Germain penalty.
Replacement Jean-Baptiste Pejoine then crossed the whitewash with three minutes remaining, but Germain was off-target with the extras and Grenoble held on in dramatic fashion.
Grenoble took an early lead when Jonathan Wisniewski slotted over a drop goal from the 22-metre line, before the hosts fended off a period of Brive pressure.
Brive managed to get on the scoreboard when Fijian winger Benito Masilevu took a Benjamin Neveu offload over the line, with Germain adding the extras to make it 7-3.
Grenoble were able to close the gap with a penalty from Wisniewski before scoring their opening try when Alipate Ratini gathered his own kick through to touch down, with Wisinewski adding the extras.
The momentum was with the hosts and they extended the lead by another seven points when a rolling maul made it over the line, with Rory Grice grounding the ball for a try.
A Germain penalty narrowed the gap to 20-10 at half-time, but after the break that was cancelled out by another three-pointer from Wisniewski.
Brive responded when Masilevu set up fellow Fijian Waqaniburotu for a try, with Germain slotting over the conversion, and a subsequent penalty from the full-back reduced Grenoble’s lead to 23-20.
Another Wisniewski penalty gave Grenoble a little more breathing space and that kick proved crucial when Pejoine crashed over in the closing stages before Germain, struggling with cramp, missed the touchline conversion.
