2024 Repechage Pool A: Tunisia Joins Zambia in Final

A showdown between the Eagles of Carthage and the Zambian Copper Eagles will take place this Sunday in Jammal.

Indeed, in a crazy atmosphere and a cheerful crowd, Tunisia will join Zambia for a final that will give us the final 15 that will face Morocco in the Rugby Africa Repechage final.

As in the first semi-final, the score was opened very quickly on the pitch of the main stadium in Jemmal by full-back Chemseddine Khalifa (15), who converted a penalty inside the Nigerian 22 to make it 3-0 to Tunisia in the second minute of the match.

Four minutes later, Nigerian opener Mathieu Ilube missed the chance to level the score from almost the same position as the Tunisian scorer.

In the tenth minute, Khalifa also missed the target from 30 metres out.

During the first half, the Tunisian 15 settled in the Nigerian half, but a succession of errors of hand and technical waste prevented them from crossing the in-goal line, and in the 27th minute, against the run of play, prop Ford Ayadele snatched the ball from the halfway line.

He passed to Anthony Egodo, who delivered a decisive pass to opener Matthews Ilube, who scored the first try of the match, which he failed to convert, but the Stallions went ahead 5-3.

In their quest for redemption, Tunisia won a scrum on Nigeria's 22 Yahya Graa (8) passed to second-row Helmi Mimouna (5) who flattened the ball behind the line 8-5 for the Carthage Eagles Khalifa failed to convert and the half-time whistle was blown.

At the start of the second half, Tunisia again settled in the Nigerian camp and following a first ruck on the left Mohsen Essid (7) passed to Aziz Lousaief (3) who passed to Salem Khanfous (2), the ball arrived at Mattthieu Escalle (10) who passed to and second try for Tunisia 13-5.

On the kick-off, the Nigerians recover the ball and Samuel Akpabio (14) flattens the ball, putting the Stallions back in front 13-10, Ilube misses the conversion.

In the 60th minute, Tunisian second-rower Mohsen Essid (7) reflexes on the side and passes to winger Gaetan Essadi (11) who finds Sabri Elbechir (6) in the interval and the latter flattens between the posts, facilitating Khalifa's conversion. Tunisia now lead 20-10.

Tunisian coach Stephane Feriere's change paid off in the 67th minute, Mohsen Essid (7) goes behind the line and concludes a succession of rucks Khalifa converts 27-10.

Wassim Iffaoui (23), well positioned on the right wing, set off a final burst of brilliance to score Tunisia's fifth “Try”, while Khalifa's conversion gave another boost to the 34-10 victory for the Carthage Eagles, who will be encouraged on Sunday by a crowd of admirers to join their Moroccan neighbors in the repechage final.