A Day of Firsts!

At the first home game of the season, Agen won their first Top 14 match verse Biarritz! Not only was it my first time watching Kevin play in France, but I got to witness him score his first TRY!!!

In the first half, Agen spent most of the time in Biarritz' territory and after several penalities in our favor, it didn't take long for Agen to score points. The kicker, Valentine, had a marvelous performance as he kicked all 18 first half points, giving us an 18-3 lead at half-time. Biarritz dominated the second half and made a strong comeback to bring them within 5. After a massive hit on defense, the ball got knocked-on and we kicked the ball down field. Valentine ran it down and kicked a ball that was similar to a hail mary football pass across the field to Kevin. In his wide-receiver form, Kevin caught the high ball and ran it in for a try. It was at a pivotal time in the game that interrupted the Biarritz comeback and put Agen ahead 12. Final score, 28-23.

 

The 13,000 screaming fans thoroughly enjoyed the first home game on this beautiful day. It was a great atmosphere.

Rugby in southern France is known for being brutal. We got a taste of it as two fights broke out during the match, with one involving all 30 players on the pitch!

Fellow USA teammate and French superstar, Taku Ngwenya, plays wing for Biarritz. We had a nice chat with him after the game. 

It was a good day. I think Agen was proud of their American.