The national men’s rugby union team, the Makis of Madagascar, dominated the Reunionese selection with a score of 57-22 yesterday at the Maki stadium in Andohatapenaka during the closing of the day dedicated to the “Rugby Festival” organized jointly by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of National Education, French Embassy, Malagasy Rugby, Terres en Mêlées, Réunion Rugby Committee and Société Générale, Telma, Réunion Region, Rcts and Star . From the start of the match, the Malagasy players announced the color by making a first incursion on a fast counter. Stopped 2 meters from the Reunion embut, the first attack was stopped in extremis. It’s only a postponement because from the third minute of play, Madagascar opened their counter with a penalty kick, 3-0. The Reunion selection has the answer by equalizing in the same way, 3-3, 6 ‘. The very fast Malagasy rugby players on the counter scored the first try in the thirteenth minute, but it was unconverted, 8-3. On an error by the Malagasy defense, Reunion scored its first converted try and took the lead, 8-10.
Solidarity and mutual aid
From a response from shepherd to shepherdess, Madagascar scored their second try, successfully converting to lead 15-10. During the last fifteen minutes of the first period, the Malagasy players scored four tries to lead 36-15 at the break. The second period is only a demonstration for the local players with three new tries scored. Despite the exit of two Malagasy players by yellow card, the Reunion only managed to score a try. The final score was 57-22. The French Ambassador Arnaud Guillois did not hide his satisfaction with the success of yesterday’s event. “We have a long rugby presence in Madagascar. The French Embassy in Madagascar brought everyone together today (yesterday) to mark the starting point for the World Cup in France in September. Rugby is the value of solidarity and mutual aid. It really is a true partnership”. As for Marcel Rakotomalala, president of Malagasy Rugby, he explained that “the Malagasy national team Makis rugby union is invited to play in Reunion at the opening of the World Cup in France in September. This showed the sincerity of Malagasy Rugby’s collaboration with the French Embassy and the French Rugby Federation”. Stéphane Manant from Reunion, conquered by the Malagasy game, gave his opinion on his Facebook page: “Madagascar must take seriously the qualification for the CDM for the African zone, honestly after South Africa and Namibia, you should be the third countries of the continent or even supplant Namibia one day. You have monstrous physical qualities (in the athletic sense), technicality (like the polished game of Japan) will come next! It’s a whole program”.