Cazouls-d'Hérault is the first French men's team to reach a European Cup final

To the happiness of Cazouls-d'Hérault, who for the first time brought a French team to the European final. N.H.

Cazouls et son tiers Florent Sanchez ont rendu coup pour coup. N.H.

Castellaro met des paillettes dans sa saison. N.H.

Doublé italien avec le succès en finale dame de Segno. N.H.

Despite the defeat in the European Club Cup on Sunday on the ground of Mèze, beaten by Castellaro, 13-5, Cazouls-d'Hérault could be proud of its performance, the first French team to reach the final. Since 1996, the event has always seen Italian teams compete unlike the women's where Notre-Dame-de-Londres has won the trophy three times and where the French teams have reached the final ten times .

Cazouls-d’Hérault is getting closer! Third in the European Cup last season in Italy, the French champion team took another step forward in Hérault on Sunday, placing second against Castellaro, reigning European champion , in a new opposition between French and Italian clubs in Poussan and Mèze.
In a sport dominated among the men by the Transalpines, semi-professionals in their country, and accustomed to games lasting several hours, this is the first time that a French team has reached the final in this way.

The half won 13-11 against Arcène until 2:20 a.m. weighed on the legs

"It’is a great achievement… I think we paid for Saturday's semi-final which ended very late (at two twenty in the morning) said Cazoulin captain Jérémy Hernandez. We started the final really well but then we lacked physical freshness, we were tired, it was complicated and it showed in the score."
The Frenchman Yohan Pierron, living in Italy for several years, captain of Castellaro, confirmed this “impression”. "We came across a great Cazouls team who had a good start to the match, which put us in difficulty. We're not too used to this kind of open, clear terrain, with wind…hellip; When we managed to free ourselves and impose our game, we made the difference."
Until 5-5, the two teams went blow for blow, Cazouls making the break, then giving in his throw-in, before breaking down physically. "They finished late the day before, by the time the pressure came down, they must not have slept too much, but they had a great start to the match and bothered us with Jérémy at the bat (service). We had difficulty adapting but then we knew how to make a difference.
Especially since the Italians are used to long matches. Even if this season, Castellaro is having more difficulty establishing itself in its championship, positioned in the middle of the table. "We're a bit left behind, not qualified for the Italian Cup, that's also why we needed to get a result here, to save the season. The sponsors are happy, the club is happy, we will go home happy!" smiled the former Vendémian player, also always delighted to come back in the country. "It’s a pleasure to play in front of family and friends. It's always special, moreover, the start of a match is often accompanied by pressure, tension".
A construction team confirms Yohan Pierron. "We're missing continuity but we're playing well; we have a young team, the objective this season was to bring them up to achieve something next year.
Like a scheduled appointment. Jérémy Hernandez is not against it, after placing third, then second…hellip; "The best team won tonight (Sunday), we fought well. The score is tough, we played for more than three hours with high quality exchanges and despite the fatigue in our legs, we had fun. It's always a treat to play against players like that.

Cazouls-d’Hérault : Jérémy Hernandez (cap), William Wahl – Florent Sanchez – Antonin Gay, Jérôme Gay. Refill Damien Alcover, Julien Sanchez, Matthieu Barral.Castellaro : Yohan Pierron (cap), Eros Valentini – Gabriele Weber – Mattia Barbazeni, Alessandro Groppelli. Refill Pietro Ghizzi.
Women's ranking: 1. Segno, 2. Tigliolese, 3. Faedo, 4. Cournonsec, 5. Poussan, 6. Vendémian. Men: 1. Castellaro, 2. Cazouls d’Hérault, 3. Arcène, 4. Vendémian, 5. Cournonterral.