After a cruel defeat against Grenoble, Nissa Rugby travels this Friday, September 25 at 7:30 p.m. to US Dax’s pitch to conclude their first Pro D2 block. Facing formidable Landais at home, the Nice players want to correct their indiscipline, confirm the progress glimpsed and above all make their upward momentum concrete with a result.
Nissa Rugby travels this Friday, September 25 to Dax for the last match of this first Pro D2 block before a “15-day break”. With one victory and three defeats on the record, the Nice players above all want to learn from their recent outings and make their progress concrete with points.
Frustration is still present, but it must now give way to action. Against Grenoble, the Eagles delivered for a long time what Matthew Clarkin considers their “best performance of the season”, before losing in the end. Once again, the content was encouraging, but the result was not.
“It’s progressing in the right direction”, acknowledges the Nice sporting director. According to him, the challenge is now to show greater clarity in the important moments so that good performances eventually translate into the standings.
Correct indiscipline to last 80 minutes
It is precisely in this area that the Nice players want to improve. Against Grenoble, indiscipline weighed heavily once again. Bastien Berenguel makes no excuses: “We were too undisciplined, we made quite a few mistakes in the second half, which allowed us to bring Grenoble back into the match and we failed to secure our exits from our half.”
A sector worked on all week by the staff and players. Defence is also one of the priority areas, as Nissa Rugby has conceded more than 30 points per match since the start of the season, with the exception of the victory against Béziers.
However, Bastien Berenguel observes improvements in collective behavior. “Despite the number of points conceded, we are increasingly able to defend collectively. That’s what we’re looking for, […] solid defence.”
Against Dax, this defensive solidity will be essential. The Landais are coming off a heavy defeat, but Matthew Clarkin refuses to assume that the Nice team will necessarily find the team that suffered a heavy loss last week. At home, Dax is an opponent of another dimension, with a dense pack and players capable of making a difference out wide.
Against Dax’s dense pack, the plan will be notably to displace the Landais forwards and play in the spaces. “It’s up to us to move them, to also play in the channels, to simply play rugby, to enjoy ourselves”, sums up Boris Goutard.
Finish the block on a positive note
After four matches, the Nice players also know that this last outing before the two-week break will allow them to measure their ability to learn from their mistakes. The message is therefore clear: the content delivered against Grenoble must now lead to a result. The progress is visible, but it can only be sustainable if Nice manages to maintain its level of commitment and concentration until the final whistle.
In Dax, the Eagles will have one last chance to transform their frustration. For a group still discovering the demands of Pro D2, this trip must above all allow them to confirm that the lessons learned from the opening matches are starting to bear fruit.
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