After two weeks of break, Nissa Rugby is preparing to host USO Nevers this Friday at Marcel-Volot stadium. Between the accounting necessity of imposing themselves at home and legitimate wariness of a tenacious bottom-placed team, the hour calls for pragmatism and rigor for the Maralpins.
The balance sheet of the first block is accounting-heavy. With just one small victory on the board for four defeats, the fifteen-day break became a necessity to clear heads, recharge bodies, and reset game principles.
On the eve of tackling the 6th round of the championship and beginning this second Pro D2 block, Nissa Rugby sits in 14th place in the standings. A position that demands an immediate result at home after a defeat in Dax while playing with a numerical disadvantage. Even if this weekend’s opponent has a “cutthroat” profile, a complete match will be needed to avoid being caught off guard. USO Nevers, the bottom-placed team, is also in urgent need of bringing back precious points that will count at the end of the season.
Nevers in disguise
If the Nivernais basement team causes concern in Burgundy, the content of their performances raises doubts in Nice. The cruel endings conceded in the final moments have masked a level of play far superior to their current position.
« Their ranking doesn’t necessarily reflect their level, warns flanker Arthur Vignolles. They’ve lost a lot of matches at the end, but they’ve managed to pose problems for everyone this early in the season. It will be a very tough match with lots of intensity. »
A view shared by sports director Matthew Clarkin, for whom relying on the standings would be a serious mistake. « They haven’t won, but they’re not beaten by anyone. We’ve seen in all their matches that they’re competitive. We expect very serious opposition. »
Correcting course in the money time
If Nevers falters at the end, Nissa Rugby carries similar ailments. Recent defeats, notably against Grenoble, still stick in their throats. To blame, a chronic fragility in match-ending management and stifling indiscipline. During the first block, the Nice collective played much of its time with a numerical disadvantage.
« We need to be harder on ourselves and be able to compensate for these small mistakes », admits Arthur Vignolles. Matthew Clarkin insists on the collective maturity necessary to turn the counter: « Indiscipline greatly complicates the strategies we want to put in place. When pressure rises, we need to have more confidence in our systems and in our collective to weather these storms. »
Possession as compass
To tip the details in the right direction and erase this mixed start to the season, Nice is counting on its certainties. Lacking a few players in their recovery phase, the squad took advantage of the break to recharge and lock in its fundamentals.
For South African lock Christiaan Van der Merwe, the key to the match will lie in dominating set pieces and managing concentration. « Lineouts and scrums, we’ll start with that. We need to stick to our strengths and not give up anything until the 80th minute. Sometimes, we tend to be too confident when we’re ahead. We’ll need to take the match step by step. »
This Friday, the mission is simple: pick up points to give themselves breathing room and regain confidence but also to relieve the 3,000 supporters expected. Kickoff at 7:30pm on Marcel-Volot pitch.
NicePremium is a free, independent local news outlet.
Help us keep going by supporting our work from €5 per month.
