WFR News
Bright Start Fades as Titans Strike Back
2026-10-18 02:45:05
The BC Lumberjacks suffered a punishing 46–10 defeat at the hands of a clinical Paris Titans side, as a tough afternoon in the trenches left the home side unable to contain the visitors' ruthless attacking flair. Despite early flashes of brilliance from fly-half Josh Ioane and relentless defensive grit near their own line, the Lumberjacks fell victim to a masterclass in clinical execution by the French heavyweights.
The Lumberjacks initially ignited the home crowd in the 6th minute with a breathtaking sequence of attacking rugby. Off the back of an early penalty, Josh Ioane produced an electric, weaving run that unlocked the Paris midfield. Spotting support on his shoulder, Ioane delivered a perfect ball to scrum-half Jake Gordon, who dived over to open the scoring. Ioane added the extras to give BC an early 7–0 advantage.
However, the Titans hit back with devastating precision. Exploiting disciplinary lapses, Paris pinned BC deep in their own territory. In the 10th minute, Curwin Bosch breached the line to level the scores, and just five minutes later, Anthony Jelonch crashed over after a stellar break by Antoine Hastoy to silence the stadium at 14–7.
The Lumberjacks refused to back down, spearheaded by immense work in the rucks from prop Tamaiti Williams. Another searing run from Ioane in the 19th minute brought BC to the brink of the try line, but a heartbreaking knock-on halted the momentum. Ioane salvaged three points from a penalty shortly after to narrow the gap to 14–10, but a defensive lapse in the 26th minute allowed Teddy Thomas to cross for Paris, leaving the Lumberjacks trailing 24–10 at the break after a lengthy TMO review denied BC a crucial try right before the whistle.
Any hopes of a second-half Lumberjacks fightback were dampened immediately after the restart when Jelonch secured his second try of the match in the 43rd minute.
Despite the mounting deficit, the Lumberjacks showed incredible heart. Fabio Gonzalez led a fiercely contested breakdown battle, forcing crucial turnovers that repeatedly frustrated the Paris pack. The Lumberjacks' goal-line defense also stood tall under immense pressure, forcing a missed penalty from Melvyn Jaminet and successfully holding up a Titans effort to secure a dramatic "No Try" decision from the video referee in the 67th minute.
Ultimately, handling errors at crucial moments prevented BC from building sustained pressure. The Titans capitalised on the exhaustion of the home side, with Bosch completing a hat-trick following two sparkling breaks from Hastoy. A final penalty from the boot of Jaminet sealed a tough 46–10 scoreline for the Lumberjacks, who will look to iron out their handling errors ahead of next week's fixture.
Back to News Centre
The Lumberjacks initially ignited the home crowd in the 6th minute with a breathtaking sequence of attacking rugby. Off the back of an early penalty, Josh Ioane produced an electric, weaving run that unlocked the Paris midfield. Spotting support on his shoulder, Ioane delivered a perfect ball to scrum-half Jake Gordon, who dived over to open the scoring. Ioane added the extras to give BC an early 7–0 advantage.
However, the Titans hit back with devastating precision. Exploiting disciplinary lapses, Paris pinned BC deep in their own territory. In the 10th minute, Curwin Bosch breached the line to level the scores, and just five minutes later, Anthony Jelonch crashed over after a stellar break by Antoine Hastoy to silence the stadium at 14–7.
The Lumberjacks refused to back down, spearheaded by immense work in the rucks from prop Tamaiti Williams. Another searing run from Ioane in the 19th minute brought BC to the brink of the try line, but a heartbreaking knock-on halted the momentum. Ioane salvaged three points from a penalty shortly after to narrow the gap to 14–10, but a defensive lapse in the 26th minute allowed Teddy Thomas to cross for Paris, leaving the Lumberjacks trailing 24–10 at the break after a lengthy TMO review denied BC a crucial try right before the whistle.
Any hopes of a second-half Lumberjacks fightback were dampened immediately after the restart when Jelonch secured his second try of the match in the 43rd minute.
Despite the mounting deficit, the Lumberjacks showed incredible heart. Fabio Gonzalez led a fiercely contested breakdown battle, forcing crucial turnovers that repeatedly frustrated the Paris pack. The Lumberjacks' goal-line defense also stood tall under immense pressure, forcing a missed penalty from Melvyn Jaminet and successfully holding up a Titans effort to secure a dramatic "No Try" decision from the video referee in the 67th minute.
Ultimately, handling errors at crucial moments prevented BC from building sustained pressure. The Titans capitalised on the exhaustion of the home side, with Bosch completing a hat-trick following two sparkling breaks from Hastoy. A final penalty from the boot of Jaminet sealed a tough 46–10 scoreline for the Lumberjacks, who will look to iron out their handling errors ahead of next week's fixture.