Millau at the time of confirmation this Sunday, May 19 against Bourges to advance to the 8th final

Cet après-midi, Millau reçoit Bourges pour tenter de se qualifier en 8es de finale. Le Berry Républicain – Olivier MARTIN

A week after winning (19-25) on the Bourges pitch, the Sud-Aveyronnais host the Berruyers (3 p.m.) for the return leg. With a lead of six points and the ambition to, this time, reach the 8th. 

Victorious (19-25) last Sunday in Bourges, during the first leg of the round of 16, SO Millau must not release the pressure and stay focused if they want to confirm, this Sunday May 19 (3 ​​p.m.) at Sports park, during the return match. And this is the message that coach Baptiste Majorel hammered home to his players all week, he who has not forgotten that last season, his team was eliminated at the same stage of the competition for a point on the round-trip aggregate against Saint-Jean-en-Royans, another team in red and black.

At the dawn of the return, six points ahead for Millau

"Once again this season, we brought back a great result from away. It’s a great performance, we are happy with what we did and produced last week," rejoices the Millavois technician. "But even if it’s always better to win the first leg, we are going to stay on earth. We won a round but there is another to go. For this return match, we will play to win obviously as if there were 0-0 and ignore the first match. Even if we have in the back of our minds the fact that we have a small six-point safety mattress, which nevertheless remains light."

So be wary, especially since the Millavois have not always produced perfect copies this season: a defeat, a draw and a few undecided and less successful matches too. And opposite, there is Bourges, a very big team relegated from Fédérale 1 and which wants to return there as soon as possible. Benefiting from a budget close to a million euros, it relies on a good number of foreign and experienced players, is very strong up front and also has a very good scorer, to whom we should not leave too much opportunities. Discipline will once again be one of the keys to the match, as well as defense, an area in which the Somistes excel.

"We think we know what game they are going to offer us"

Before the first leg, the South Aveyron staff had the chance to study the game of the Berrichons and had planned a plan to counter the monolithic opposing forward pack. A plan that worked well but the match, very balanced, could have gone one way or the other: ten minutes from time, the score was tied (19-19). There is also no doubt that, given their ambitions, the Berruyers will arrive vengeful and motivated in Aveyron. A big game therefore awaits both camps.

For Baptiste Majorel,"even if the plan for the first leg worked well, we also put ourselves in the place of our opponent. We are not going to throw flowers on the success of this match but we think we know what game they are going to offer us. But we also identified some important points that can allow us to counter this team once again and make the difference."

The starting fifteen of the SOM

Calvi – Delouis, Austruy, Fekitoa, Wadelle – Escalaïs (o, cap.), Rorato (m) – Fournier, Coste, Metral – Mézaïr, A.Bourrel – Herail, Petit, Roques.
Substitutes: De March, Mariamon, Naudan, G. Bourrel, Henderschiett, Vergne, Perraux.

He adds: "There is no doubt that each staff prepared their players well and analyzed the opponent. Regarding us, we are going to stick to what we know how to do and what we have done all season." Faithful to his philosophy of taking match after match, the Som coach is not looking ahead to the end of the season, and he wants to stay focused on the crucial deadline that awaits his players today ;today. "My wish is that spectators come in numbers and become supporters. My players will really need it because the opponent is really strong, he emphasizes.

Naudan and Perraux return

The Millavois group is doing well, and with the planned stoppage of certain senior players, the Somists want to continue the adventure and have fun for a few more Sundays. On the personnel side, two good news: the return from injury of the second line Gaël Naudan and the usual captain Ewen Perraux, a player protected from the back lines whose ability to pierce opposing defenses is known. On the other hand, prop Wilfried Pupier is suspended after receiving a third yellow card last Sunday.
 

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