Nice-Vienna: Nice rugby back in the finals

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Nice-Premium: How is the Nice group faring a few hours before the crucial clash against Vienna on Sunday in Bรฉdarrides? Are there any injuries?

Julien Schramm, Technical Director of RNCA: There is a great sense of mobilization. There’s a desire to achieve something significant at the end of the season. To finally demonstrate its true value. The pressure is mounting, the good kind of pressure. The players who were injured in recent weeks have returned to training. We still have some uncertainty about the participation of Laurent Buchet at the back, but we are getting back Kahlouchi, Guiran, and Lerda in the front, Kinane and Bourroul in the back, giving us many options to build the team.

NP: You’ve had some difficulties away from home this season. The final stages are on neutral ground. Is that a concern, and what has been your message this week to reassure your players away from Arboras?

JS: But all the teams in our pool have had difficulties away from home. Even if we canโ€™t say that weโ€™ve been overwhelmed even once. Let’s say our pool was very homogeneous and whether it was against teams fighting for survival or those aiming for qualification, it has rarely been easy. In fact, I think the notion of “home-away” was more significant for our opponents, often transcendent at home, less so away. For example, we lost 18-15 at Sorgues, and we beat them by 80 points at our placeโ€ฆ Thatโ€™s why playing on neutral ground is certainly not a disadvantage for us, I even see it as a chance for our team to fully unleash itself, to express its great potential. Thatโ€™s what we’ve told them: let loose, give 100%, go all out, without calculation… and the result will come.

NP: Vienna finished fifth in their pool. You only found out about your opponent after the game against Bastia. Did you have time to research their strengths, weaknesses, and players to watch?

JS: We have a good idea of what Vienna is worth, we know they are solid and cohesive up front, we know the essentials, but we didn’t focus on that too much. The important thing is us, period. I believe itโ€™s time for this Nice team to stop questioning, to take charge, to grow. Our group is young, made up of very good individuals most of whom would easily play at a higher levelโ€ฆ but Federal 2 doesnโ€™t necessarily showcase talent, rather character, mentality, fighting spirit, the need to bond with teammates. A young and new group, a collective that took time to build and to grasp this championship are the main reasons why Nice hasnโ€™t always met expectations.

NP: It felt like a failure for RNCA not to finish first in the pool and thus move directly to Federal 1. Is this perception accurate?

JS: The direct promotion was a goal for Nice just as it was for Romans or Grasse. We had the potential for it, probably not the collective experience of our adversaries. A lack that was detrimental to us at the start of the season. We lost at Saint-Raphaรซl and at home against Grasse, this somewhat marred our beginning of the season. So, we knew early on that finishing number 1 would be very difficult. But hey, we bounced back, we even found ourselves first with Romans, and then we lost ground again. Ups and downs, like all teams in the pool. Romans, without being brilliant, managed to be the most consistent. After second, third, fourth, or fifth, frankly, I don’t care… all I want now is for the team to go all out. I believe in them a lot and the path of this final phase that is before us is very open. Anything is possible.

NP: Only two teams qualified for the finals in addition to the first of the pool will move up to Federal 1. Do you have any favorites for the promotion and which teams do you fear? Can there be a disparity with the teams from the Southwest, in a word, is the level of the pools homogeneous?

JS: Very difficult to answer. Look at Saint-Saturnin last year. 6th in the pool and the last qualified. In the end, finalists of Federal 2 and promoted to Federal 1. What is certain is that teams already promoted like Romans, Villeurbanne who we face in the second round if we beat Vienna, have already achieved their goal and may therefore have less motivation in this final phase. Now it is certain that the level varies from one pool to another. In our pool, it was homogeneous and tough, in other pools, it was undoubtedly more open in terms of gameplay but less “rigid” in terms of combat… What we are sure of is that we will have to fight “locally” if we want to move up to Federal 1. Teams from pool 4 against teams from pool 3 until the quarter-finals. Imagine a derby Nice-Grasse in the quarter-finals for the rise to Federal 1! Well, weโ€™re not there yet and it would take three rounds to get there. Our only future for now is Vienna.

NP: Finally, what would you say to ensure maximum support from the Azurรฉens in this final phase adventure?

JS: The important thing is to get past Vienna, to deserve this mobilization of supporters. To show them that RNCA has ambition. This is a first step. We’ve managed to bring people back to Arboras. If we can now bring supporters, that would be magnificent. We’ve organized a bus for supporters for the trip to Bรฉdarrides. The players are aware that something is happening in their club and when they see a few purple and yellow flags in the stands on Sunday, theyโ€™ll know there are people behind them. Winning on Sunday is the best message we can send to everyone who wants rugby to regain its place in Nice.

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