Rise: five candidates, one elected… or zero

Les Graulens (en bleu) et les réservistes nîmois participent au combat intense que mènent les équipes de tête.

Regional 1/10th day. The top five in Pool A are held in two points. State of play.

It's tight, very tight. After nine days of competition, the top five in Group A of Regional 1 are separated by two points! There are no more undefeated teams. The path to the climb is open… but will be long (read box). Lunel leads the way (19 pts) ahead of the trio Le Grau-Narbonne-Aigues-Mortes (18 pts) and the crocodile reserve (17 pts). Béziers (14) and Atlas Paillade (12) are slightly behind but remain in ambush. Bagnols-Pont (11), Vendargues (7), Fabrègues and Pays d’Uzès (6) are in danger while Aimargues (1 small point) already seems doomed. Before the championship resumes this weekend, the coaches of the top five gave their impressions to Midi Libre.

Nicolas Le Bellec (Lunel)

"Being leader in front of the big cars is an enormous satisfaction and had the effect of bringing the public back to the Fernand-Brunel stadium. The group is young with enormous potential but also the flaws of youth, as evidenced by the last match lost 2-1 in special conditions in Nîmes. We will continue to have fun without setting any goals or limits."

Farid Diaf (Narbonne)

"I am delighted with the work accomplished with a disciplined and progressing group in a championship where the competition will be fierce until the end. If I have any regrets, they concern the loss of points from the victory won against Le Grau-du-Roi (penalty for an administrative error) and the defeat at home against Lunel when we had the match in hand. Without that, we would be first."

Yohan Borg (Aigues-Mortes)

& quot;We started very well with five victories in a row before suffering three defeats in a row. But the 4-2 success against Béziers just before the break proved that we deserved our current place. There are still two matches to play before the end of the first leg. We will take stock at that time. What is certain is that we will do everything to respond until the last day."

Nicolas Guibal (Le Grau-du -King)

"We had difficulty getting set up for various reasons, notably the absence of injured players including Mahedine Mouzaoui who we will recover (Le Grau can also count on the return of Nicolas Benezet, his experience in Cyprus ended , Editor’s note). Being in such a good position at the break is an excellent operation in a competitive context which will crown a very fine champion. Afterwards, we will still have to fight in a play-off for accession between the winners of each group which will not necessarily reflect the entire season."

Adil Hermach (Nîmes Olympique)

"I work with a very young group who learn very quickly and who obtain good results. I was never worried after our two initial defeats against Aigues-Mortes and Bagnols-Pont because the content, against two clubs freshly relegated from National 3, was potentially interesting. The recovery of several injured people will allow us to move forward and continue to play leading roles for the many audiences who come to see us play."

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