Amateur rugby: “We will have to show that we have reached a new level”, Les Angles ready to welcome Andrézieux for the Fédérale 2 jump-off

Dimitri Joly, maître à jouer aux Angles, espère emmener les siens le plus loin possible. – RCAGR

After a high-level regular season, the RCAGR obtained the right to receive a play-off and then open the way to the round of 16 of Fédérale 2.

Garde rugby is not in top form. RC Nîmois plateaus in National 2, RC Cévenol is relegated and will join Uzès next season in Regional 1. Further down, Bagnols and Saint-Gilles finished in the last two places in their Regional 2 group while in R3 , only Vauvert and Marguerittes managed to do well.

Also read:Rugby union: in Federal 2, victory and fourth place for the Angles

In the midst of this slump, RC Les Angles Gard Rhodanien is coming off a very successful 2023-2024 financial year, at least for the regular season, while waiting for what begins this Sunday.< /p>

"It’s a very good season, explains Dimitri Joly, scrum-half and captain. We reached our initial goal at the start of the season by qualifying."
Fourth in its group with a record of 12 wins, 2 draws and 8 defeats, the RCAGR opened the doors to a play-off at home.

Move up within three years

"Last year, we aimed to maintain and we finished in the middle of the table. This year, recruitment was good, the guys bought into the project, and we managed to perform well, adds the one who has been at the club for thirteen years.

These good results come after the club led by president Alain Sanciaume carried out a restructuring at the level of the senior teams. "The club wanted to install a general manager position to oversee the two collectives", explains Christian Sanciaume, who occupies this position. This new arrangement is in line with an ambitious project in Les Angles: moving up to Fédérale 1 within three years.

Qualification for the final phase is only a step for the English who will face an old acquaintance, this Sunday at 3 p.m., in their Roger-Pagès stadium: Andrézieux-Bouthéon .

Two years ago, the two teams met in the round of 16 of Fédérale 3. The Gardois, big favorites at the time, lost 27-17 in the Loire , before winning only 31-24 on the return… Not enough to move up to the next level. The RCAGR then had to go through a round-trip barrage against Léognan to win its precious ticket.

"We will have to show that we have passed a threshold"

"There is always a little feeling of revenge, says the captain, who was on the pitch in 2022. To play again against guys who deprived us of a climb…"
"We must not dwell on the past, tempers the general manager. We are already preparing for the future with 95% of the current players who will stay next season."

To keep Andrézieux-Bouthéon out of its way on Sunday, the Gard club will be able to count on an untenable three-quarter line. "We have strengthened ourselves a lot behind this season and it was seen, specifies Christian Sanciaume. Facing RCAB, a team that looks like us, we will have to show that we have reached a new level."
The winner of this meeting will meet Nantua (first in group 1) in the round-of-16 round-trip from Sunday May 12.

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