Patrick Buisson: “La Nationale, a real competition, in its own right”

After two seasons of National, what assessment do you draw from this new championship which was able to take place under normal conditions this year?

We are satisfied to have been able to set up this competition. The level is very homogeneous compared to the old formula of Fédérale 1. The clubs, unanimously, recognize the interest of this competition. At all levels, there has been suspense this year.

Why does it work when the Elite hen, a few years ago, had not lasted?

The Elite hen was above all a very restrictive specification for the clubs. Some have put themselves in fragility to be able to participate. We had seen a lot of financial difficulties. The National is different because it is open only on a sporting criterion. And we are not fooled, the best results are with those who have the best structures. There is also better monitoring of clubs, we try to support them as much as possible.

The National aims to reduce the gap between the amateur and pro world. When we see Bourg-en-Bresse and Narbonne make the lift this year, isn’t that a bit annoying?

Among the 14 National, very few want to access the Pro D2. We did not create the National just to have access to the professional world. It’s a real competition, in its own right. Afterwards, the sports results, neither the League nor the federation have any control over it. If you look at the Top 14, the two promoted may go down. It takes a little time to anchor on the upper floor, like, for example, a Provence Rugby which is now stabilized in Pro D2.

Today, Massy and Soyaux-Angoulême are fighting for the title but are already guaranteed to go up. Granting access to the first of the regular season would it not be a fairer reward to allow the club in question to better prepare for professionalism?

The DNA of rugby is the final stages. With the League, we are thinking about reproducing the format of the Pro D2 so that the final is a real access match at the end of which the champion of France obtains the climb (with a play-off, then, for the finalist against the penultimate of Pro D2). It will not be for next year but the year after certainly.

Financially, and despite the Covid, the clubs seem less in difficulty, there has been no accident in two years, how do you explain it?

I think the clubs are better managed. The leaders understand that they cannot do anything because the DNACG watches over the grain. It is a whole.

A word on the creation of the National 2…

It is part of a global overhaul of the competition pyramid. We have observed that some clubs are working better and better and that there is a desire to split this Fédérale 1 in two. It will also allow more teams to play something. When you are a Fédérale 1 club like Lavaur or Bagnères, where we work well, and you face Périgueux or Hyères-Carqueiranne, it’s complicated to envisage qualifying. We hope that the N2 will have the same success as the National.

Aren’t you afraid that the march will be too high financially for certain teams in N2?

If you are elected sportingly, you have the right to play the N2. And if a club refuses membership (like Saint-Sulpice) because it is not ready, today it is no longer punished.

By leveling up, should we fear inflation on players with an arms race?

There are two types of clubs: those that form and play with a succession plan from their pool; and others who go looking for players, can splurge. And if the latter are not able to assume, they will be caught by the financial policeman, quite simply.