Saturday November 16, at 8 p.m., Rodez hosts Mont-de-Marsan at the Amphitheater for a duel between co-leaders. The opportunity for the group coaches who have already faced the two teams to look at this summit meeting.
“JI don’t know if there will be local TV or if it will be broadcast on the networks, but it’s a match that I would have happily seen!” Nicolas Ducasse is neither a supporter of Rodez nor of Mont-de-Marsan. Worse still, as assistant coach of Réal Chalossais, he is an adversary of these two teams. However, as is certainly the case for all followers of Pool C of Nationale 3, the meeting this Saturday evening between the two co-leaders catches his passionate eye. “These are two squads which have a lot of similarities, with a lot of skill on each side, very intelligent interior players, very mobile and who are well coached. It could be an exciting match”predicts the Landes deputy, who knows well the formations concerned by the poster at the Amphitheater having bowed to them over the last two days.
“It’s difficult to project, but I would still say an advantage to Rodez, who is at homelaunches for his part, Brice Fréon, coach of Villeneuve-sur-Lot, current third in the group. We all drive at least three hours to get there, so it’s complicated.” His team had also paid the price on October 12 at Ginette-Mazel, while it had won the previous weekend on its floor against Mont-de-Marsan. “The first match, we were at home, complete and well prepared. Whereas when we went to Rodez, we didn’t have our best exterior, nor our best interior. We arrived naked, we were only seven”he tempers. Lot-et-Garonnais continues: “Rodez made a really good impression on me on the “group aspect” and on his fighting spirit. Mont-de-Marsan, I found that when the match was close, (the players) disunited a little bit, whereas Rodez, I didn’t have that impression at all. I feel that there is real cohesion, the group is healthy.”
“Rodez perhaps has the best team in the group”
A feeling shared by Nicolas Ducasse: “Rodez perhaps has the best team in the group, even if there are less individualities than in certain other teams. In relation to the construction of the squad and the recruits, we knew that it could really play a role together, defend hard, but at this point? Plus, last weekend, they had a devilish skill. We were surprised by this quality of play.
The coach of Saint-Médard (4th), Dimitri Saint-Jean, with whom the RBA suffered its only defeat, on October 5, wants to be more eulogistic towards his opponent on Saturday, who beat him during the weekend. -end passed. “Mont-de-Marsan is much more equipped and much more experienced than Rodez. Already because it has a much more complete squad and threats in almost all positions, which is a little less the case for Rodez, who I find weaker in the interior sector While Mont-de-Marsan has three players capable of playing at a good level. This is what made the difference when we played against Rodez, who had a lot of difficulty. to contain our inner players”analyzes the technician. Nicolas Ducasse, for his part, does not see this the same way: “The interior sector is not a weakness for Rodez, it will not be on this point that the difference will be made, in my opinion. Afterwards, there will be no advantage taken by Rodez inside , that’s for sure. But will they suffer?
Mont-de-Marsan and the RBA co-leaders, a surprise?
If the Saint-Médard coach believes that Stade Monois is the favorite for the climb, particularly due to its “very well built squad”Rodez made an equally good start, despite a pool that he only discovered this summer. “To see them first with only one defeat, against us, I’m a little surprised. But not so much, because they still have some very, very good players”shade Dimitri Saint-Jean.
“For me, it’s not a surprise, because Rodez is still an institution. We know Matija Sagadin very well, formerly as a player, and we had no doubt that he would lead his team well This year, assures Villeneuvois Brice Fréon. The team is very cohesive. I was waiting for them at the top with Saint-Médard, Mont-de-Marsan and us. The confrontations will matter a lot.” That’s good, the one between the two leaders of the group takes place this Saturday evening!
