With 7 clubs at the departmental level (Menton, Nice, St Laurent du Var, Antibes Sophia Antipolis, Cannes Mandelieu and Grasse), rugby in the Côte d’Azur has indeed benefited from the enthusiasm generated by the last French World Cup. However, it remains one of the departments with the fewest clubs relative to the population, as highlighted by Henri Mondino in his interview.
Christian Cauvy, the Technical Director of the departmental committee 06, will begin a new journey by joining the new Top 14 club, Racing Club de Toulon, where he is already familiar with the region and the club. “We must not overlook promising young talents. We also face challenges with field availability for organizing our training sessions as demand continues to grow. This year, we organized women’s rugby training sessions attracting nearly 40 girls over 4 Wednesdays.” This is the sharp analysis of the former fly-half of RRC Nice and RCT, who has set the goal of forming a junior team to counter the aging of rugby enthusiasts who “perform well in the third half but lag a bit in the first two.”
Regarding referees, the age limit is a recurring issue despite 16 young referees joining the existing 12 officials in the committee. As for school sports and the UNSS, work will be initiated to train school and college teachers. Two sectors (east/west) will be established starting next season, with initiatives like the one that allowed 850 children to experience rugby last spring at the Oli Stadium in Nice.
With the moral report unanimously approved, the operating budget for the next season is expected to be around €90,000, while the treasury balance as of June 30 showed a positive balance, covering the previous season’s deficit.
A positive report, increased membership, and a national champion club (Cannes Mandelieu) put Côte d’Azur rugby on a promising path. The only downside of this meeting was President Jean Jacques Brouchier’s announcement that he will not seek a new term in the upcoming election scheduled for November. The evening will conclude with the traditional third half and the presentation of the famed Brennus Shield by the entire Cannes Mandelieu team.
