Last Saturday will go down in the deVere-sponsored British Rugby Club of Paris history books.  The expat boys were up against RC Clignancourt in the cup final in Domont, and determined to get their hands on the silverware.

BRCF got off to a strong start, and certainly made their presence known on the field.  A standout performance by Big Jim Grieve, Craig Reid and Ludo Houssiaux saw the expat side take the lead by 8-0.  A missed penalty from the rival ensured the score remained the same and BRFC morale stayed high.

As play continued, Ludo scored another penalty to take the BRFC lead to 11-0.  It was at this point that RC Clignancourt woke up and launched a determined counter attack.  At half-time, the visitors were tailing BRFC by 11-7.  Victory for the expats wasn’t going to be as easy as perhaps first thought.

Both teams came out all guns blazing in the second half.  An early penalty for the visitors slashed BRFC’s lead by just one point, and nerves were setting in on the field and amongst the crowd.  Matthieu Martin scored to give the expats room to breathe, but they had no time to rest on their laurels.

BRFC’s Jeremy Lamri launched a final attack and found his way over the line to bring the final score to 21-10 and a well-deserved cup final victory for BRFC.

Team captain Bouscasse climbed the Domont steps to receive the trophy on the team’s behalf.  The club’s first silverware for a decade sparked riotous cheer and applause for the expat boys.

Next trip for the British Rugby Club of Paris is to Budapest for a spot of sightseeing.  The journey to the ‘Coupe de President’ will kick off with an away match against Renault on 15th April.

I have every faith that the boys can go for the cup double.

Congratulations BRFC!