Pro D2 – Rouen does not want to be wrong
It is with humility as a banner that Rouen wants to play this season, to take the matches one after the other, and above all not to take yourself for another.
“We are not going to complain, but this enthusiasm around our course is especially felt at the local level, the attendance at the Stadium on the increase, the number of partners who adhere to the project which is developing. It’s work that started well before my arrival, around three men. Jean-Louis Louvel (owner), Eric Leroy (President) and Richard Hill (coach until 2021), that I don’t forget. The latter laid the foundations on demand, we are still living, and my staff and I have brought a framework of requirements that the players are digesting little by little. says Nicolas Godignon, the Rouen coach.
We must remember that Rouen only has the 13th budget of the pool, and therefore appreciates being at the top of the table (4th tied) also for that.
“The means are important, but the project is just as important. This is what I can see, on a well-recruited player, who have blended into the background, very quickly because this region is welcoming, this city is beautiful. We work well there, and we have real skills at all levels. We have few injuries, because the preparation was good, the guys are recovering quickly,” sue the coach.
“Competent people in the right places”
The progression is notable in essential areas of the game, the scrum is rarely faulted, the touch is much better. And on the defense side, the work of Serge Betsen made Rouen difficult to cross, we saw it again this weekend against Biarritz, where many of the Biarritz offensive actions ended up in players being pushed into touch or firmly tackled.
Another point that makes the staff happy is the development of training. Jean Leleu, trained in Pont-Audemer (Normandy) and came to Rouen at the age of 19, is an integral part of the group, as is Paul Surano, who has been in ProD2 for three years.
Other young people have joined the professional group, such as Octave Leleu (Jean’s brother) who has now just been welcomed there. “Once again, competent people in the right places who alert us to potential and with whom we work in complete confidence. And the infrastructure is also moving with the upcoming arrival of the weight room on the training site,” rejoices Nicolas Godignon.
Rouen therefore strives to do things well, without seeking recognition, which will come above all with positive results over time. Above all, don’t be the soap opera of the fall and then disappear.
“Our only ambition is to do better and better with each match in a serious and concrete way, we avoid thinking in blocks, making accounting plans on the number of points on such a date. Our results just allow us today to go without pressure to the leader Oyonnax which for once has more assertive ambitions”, ended the Norman technician.
Last, Montauban is under pressure
There are unmistakable signs. It is in full doubt that the Montalbanaise team came to Maurice-David on Friday evening, to face a team from Provence Rugby which did not succeed. And once again, despite the proposed commitment, it is without the slightest point that the Green and Black returned to Montauban. Quite a disappointment, because after four defeats in a row, the USM is indeed in the hard, with an unenviable place of red lantern in the standings. An almost surreal position given the ambitions and the end of the first block of the Tarn-et-Garonnais, more inclined, at the base, to aim for the top 6.I find that once again, we are not paid in view of the investment we have made, detailed David Gérard with the head of the bad days. It reminds me of a lot of matches in recent times, where we made great efforts wasted by slag. And what matters is the end result…” In this match, the Montalbanais clearly lacked precision, speed and even madness. A logical observation for a team in search of new benchmarks. Despite this, the attack is not caused by the problem, it is especially in defense that the visitors of the day have still cracked in crucial moments. “We have the syndrome of the team in lack of confidence “, rightly recognized the manager coldly. In addition, it is difficult to rely on the executives when you lose captain Maxime Mathy and line captain Tijuee Uanivi to injury in the first quarter of an hour. “It was the continuity of the end of the match against Grenoble, only for different things.
What about the future then? Although the pressure increases, David Gérard keeps the faith. The manager also refutes all the rumors around a possible “battle” in the locker room during Tuesday’s training: “There was no settling of accounts with anyone. We are all in the same boat.” The former Biterrois also knows that if his place can be in danger, Montauban is only three points from 13th place, before the reception of Massy. He concluded with hope:My personal case is secondary compared to the team. Being at the bottom of the ranking, of course it weighs. Afterwards, we are not off the hook, we need a victory. I had known that at a time in my life against Béziers when we had chained four defeats and we ended up qualifying at the end of the season… Nothing is written.