Clear winners in Albi (20-7), the Drôme have taken a big step towards becoming a Pro D2. But there is still a second game to validate the climb, in which they also hope to remain unbeaten at home in 2023.
The step seems small. Or at least they planed it a week ago. Coming to win on the lawn of the Stadium in the semi-final first leg of National (20-7), Valence-Romans put a foot and a half in Pro D2.
However, in the Drôme camp, there is no question of boasting, and the lead (4-0 in field points), which seems almost impossible to fill, is not enough to decompress the Checkers who swung the boat sentences in conference of press this week, as if to guard against any superiority complex, and not to irritate their visitors of the day. “We have to start as if it were 0-0. We didn’t really have time to digest the first leg, simply because we know that it is played over 160 minutes, or even more”, indicates the general manager of the VRDR Johann Authier.
“We took a psychological advantage, that’s for sure. But the return meeting will be different from the one on the way out”, engages the Valence center Charles Bouldoire.
“Humility and Distrust”
Different, it would be better for the SCA, already, and it is difficult to prove the 2nd Nationals wrong. If only because Albi missed a good part of his match in the Tarn, and will go to the Georges-Pompidou stadium, full as an egg, with the desire to do better, to show something else. And why not aim for the unthinkable. “He’s a formidable opponent, warns Authier. We know very well that they will be vengeful, that they have nothing more to lose. So we take this game with a lot of humility and mistrust. Especially since this match will be more difficult than the previous one, because it will decide the future of both teams.”
One of them will want to force her destiny, while the other awaits her with open arms. But don’t expect to be idle though. “The danger can only come from us, believes Charles Bouldoire. Albi is a great team, and will try everything. On our side, we must not believe we are coming. In any case, we cannot afford to thwart , not to play this game.” And in particular not to miss their start of the meeting so as not to let hope grow in the heads of the Tarn, under penalty of ensuring a painful meeting as desired.
Behind this major objective, this “Grail” as Johann Authier would say, promotion to the second division, hides another desire, more symbolic than important. Yet what would it simply lock the main goal. “We recovered at home and we have been intractable since January, welcomes the Drôme manager. We want to preserve our invincibility in 2023 at Georges-Pompidou.” History to make perfect the festivities announced with the public.
2023-05-20 04:03:46
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