Amateur rugby: “It must be unprecedented to find yourself relegated with 8 victories”, RC Cévenol must win at Le Teil to hope to stay

Barrel et les Cévenols n’ont plus le choix : ils devront revenir victorieux d’Ardèche. – RCC

Relégables dans leur poule 6 de Fédérale 3 avant cette dernière journée, les Alésiens doivent absolument l’emporter au Teil pour se maintenir.

Season 2023-2024, episode 18. The most anticipated chapter will close, Sunday, late afternoon, in Ardèche, for RC Cévenol.

After more than six months of ups, but especially downs, the Gardois will play their place in Federal 3 on the Teil lawn. Beaten only by the leader Montélimar on his land, the Ardéchois will be tough adversaries.

"They are uncompromising at home, which is what allows them to still be in the running for qualification, notes Éric Sanchez, Alesian manager. Winning there would be a great achievement, because they will take us seriously."

Relegation with eight victories

Condemned to impose themselves so as not to go down to Regional 1, the residents of the Montée du Silhol stadium expect very strong opposition. &amp ;quot;They will want to win as much as we do, to qualify", warns Valentin Barrel, Cévennes opener.

In an ultra-tight group, Le Teil ultimately has the same number of victories as RC Cévenol. "It must be unprecedented to find yourself relegated with eight victories in seventeen matches , envisages Barrel, trained at the club. Last season we finished in 7th place with six victories over the entire year.& ;quot;

Long at the back of the class, the RCC student gave himself the right to believe in maintaining by signing three successes in his last four meetings. Including one, significant, against Tournon-Tain (2nd), last week (32-19). A real cliffhanger, one week before the end of the championship.

"We are on level despite our bad start"

"It’is a benchmark victory. We managed to play a complete match , congratulates the manager. It shows that we are at the level despite our bad start."
A team which "reaction-driven", according to Valentin Barrel, one of its leaders and which will have to, on Sunday, pull out all the stops against a formation that it had beaten, during the first phase, by a very small point (24-23).

The defeat against Châteauneuf Saint-Marcel, mid-December, and the referee points not received (while his direct opponents pocketed three each) also weighed down the end of the season by one RC Cévenol, who could have aimed for qualification in this case.

Already in the revival with the incorporation of a few juniors or former juniors into the first team, the Alésiens "are starting to play better rugby", says Barrel, with the hope that, this time, the Cévennes episode turns out well and doesn't make them lose their money.

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