Rugby developed thanks to the confrontations and rivalries between neighboring villagers. Rugby, more than any other sport, is played by collectively defending one’s territory by preventing the opponent from crossing the goal line, but also on an individual level. Julien Kinane, a center from Nice, explains this mentality: “I am a defender at heart. I love it. When I have an opponent in front of me, I must not back down, and he must not advance. I defend my space. He must not pass.” Julien Kinane, the Ariegeois from Lavelanet and an off-season recruit, knows the derbies. He grew up amidst the local rugby rivalries. He touched the high level with six years of his career at Narbonne, then Tarbes and Auch, where he was the second top scorer in ProD2. He even scored two tries in the Top16 on December 18, 2004, against Stade Toulousain. He has kept the original character of rugby intact. The Ariege blood that runs in his veins surely, but also a phrase from his Auch coach Henry Broncan: “The true rugby is that of Fédérale.” Julien Kinane thus came to play in Fédérale 2 in Nice. He settled down and is trying to develop his clothing line that he created. On the Côte d’Azur, he finds the very essence of this sport that he is passionate about, far from the glitz, glamour, and money of the elite he left without regrets but with slight bitterness: “There are foreigners now taking our places. It was hard to find a club, so I came to see what real rugby was like in Fédérale 2. It is less technical. The players are not all at the same level, and it is a real fight.” The real battle will be on Sunday against the Grasse neighbors for the Alpes-Maritimes derby.
“Both clubs have the aim of promotion. The match is therefore important, but perhaps more so for them. There will be a crowd; we’re playing at home, and the encounter will be tough with an obvious emotional connotation,” explains Philippe Buchet, manager of RCNA. Gwenaël Pontier, one of the pillars of the Nice pack confirms: “Before a derby, there is always a bit of sly psychological play, but you can’t say it’s rivalry. Not with us at least. Maybe more with them since many were trained in Nice.” Julien Kinane knows the task ahead: “Grasse is very strong upfront. They have played together for a long time and are very united. We will have to be just as solid.” The new coach Olivier Achaintre has therefore scheduled a specific training session for the forwards on Wednesday. He emphasized the need for dominance. The work is applied and the players listen attentively to the former coach of Albi and Lyon. “We repeat, we correct, and we don’t panic. If it takes until 10 pm, we will finish at 10 pm,” declares Olivier Achaintre, emphasizing solidarity and cohesion, both technically and mentally: “We must succeed together.”
The Nice team has had fifteen days to forget the “stupid” defeat at Draguignan. They have worked collectively to stand together in the “Azur derby.” The squad has been renewed by 80%. After the departures of fly-half Vincent Déauze, who went to coach Gap, and scrum-half Julien Legall, who returned home to Anglet, and the arrival of a new pair (Eric Delage at 9 from Albi and Geoffrey Marras at 10 recruited from La Valette), adjustments and automatic plays have to be made. Olivier Achaintre is working on it. The Nice team will need to be ready for the real rugby derby, ready to fight, to not give up an inch of ground, ready to tackle, and ready to make the stands of Stade Arboras come alive.
