After the 21 to 18 victory against Valence-Romans at the Chanzy stadium in Angoulême, the SA 15 validated its ticket to go back to Pro D2. Club president Didier Pitcho looks back on a particularly complicated season, both sportingly and financially.
Sunday, in a packed Chanzy stadium, the SA XV rugby players offered their public a victory against Valence-Romans (21 to 18), accompanied by a ticket for the Pro D2 that the Charentais had left the year past.
In this interview, the club president looks back on a difficult season. Didier Pitcho also tells us of his relief to see that his players have managed to get out of this bad patch even if he knows that the return to Pro D2 will be “very complicated”.
France 3: How did you feel at the final whistle of the match?
Didier Pitcho : Relief and a lot of emotion because it’s been two years since we’ve been living through somewhat difficult seasons. There was the Covid and then this year, it was very complicated, it was hard to recover from our descent, with fractures all over the place, we had to rebuild and recreate the bond that made our strength in the past. It should not be forgotten that our start to the season was catastrophic, we lost our first three games.
When everyone understood that rugby was a sport of self-sacrifice and that you had to fight for your sidekick, we became invincible.
Didier Pitcho, president of SA XV
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France 3: Has the objective of this season always been to go back to Pro D2?
Didier Pitcho : Yes, that was the goal but I felt within the club and among the players that they wanted to qualify. We had very difficult times. In February, in Nice, we took 38 points. Albi came to us and won. Valence-Romans, the same. From that moment, I asked the players to remotivate themselves on one point. I felt that the team had the means to do very well so I asked them to review their objective and to be champions. And then there was a small revolution. They did an internship, I took them to my home in Royan, we made the mayonnaise go up and everyone joined.
France 3: Was there a click?
Didier Pitcho : The team is much stronger than the individual. When everyone understood that rugby was a sport of self-sacrifice and that you had to fight for your sidekick, we became invincible. Besides, we are in the process of chaining victories.
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France 3: Did you anticipate this rise in Pro D2 financially, in terms of recruitment?
Didier Pitcho : There won’t be a lot of turnover. The recruits are already in store. I took care of it, because I was convinced that we were going to get there, even if I admit that I had big doubts about the end. Let’s not forget that this match, this victory, this rise in Pro D2, it is worth between 1.8 and 2 million euros. It is the endowment of the financial rugby league, with a bonus of 300,000 euros for those who access. So for us, it’s an important lifeline.
France 3: Have you come a long way from this point of view too?
Didier Pitcho : We had a very difficult financial idea. Over the past twelve months, I have constantly alerted elected officials by telling them that if I did not have support, we would have a lot of trouble. I also brought together all my shareholders, we managed to raise the capital by 300,000 euros when it was not easy, everyone got involved. The two-three years of Covid have put the finances flat.
We have learned from our previous experiences: we now know that the financial race is very important. But we will end up with one of the smallest budgets and the smallest payroll practically of Pro D2, but with a huge heart.
Didier Pitcho, president of SA XV
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France 3: And this investment paid off?
Didier Pitcho : I don’t know, but it is our duty, as business leaders, to be a driving force and actor in our territory to help elected officials carry the colors of Grand Angoulême and Charente beyond our borders. Rugby has achieved what no one has achieved so far: uniting an entire population and giving hope.
France 3: How does next season look?
Didier Pitcho : We are going to recruit five to seven players, four or five of whom have already said yes, it’s done. Vincent Etcheto (Editor’s note: the coach) remains. Guillaume Laforgue and Tanguy Kerdrain too. Ditto for all the staff except the physical trainer. But I don’t want to say too much now, we have a season to finish and a title to pick up on Saturday at Blagnac. Everyone needs to get back together in the next few days to try to carry our colors even further. You know, even old players are calling us to come back. It’s a family club, where you want to be, to come back and above all to stay. I have a few surprises in store for you here. But given how the teams are armed, the return to Pro D2 will be very complicated, we will have only one ambition: to maintain ourselves. We have learned from our previous experiences: we now know that the financial race is very important. But we will end up with one of the smallest budgets and the smallest payroll practically of Pro D2, but with a huge heart.
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