“We are hungry for victories.” Like Guy Merour, the sports director of RC Cannes Mandelieu, the azure team, after finishing first in their group and then eliminating Ugine (38), Pamiers (09), Anglet (64), and Habas (40), do not plan to stop there. The message is determined but respectful of the opponent: “There is no sense of superiority. On the field, it’s fifteen against fifteen. Voiron is a big pack of forwards and has a tradition of rugby from Isère. That suits us well. Our strength is also our front eight.” The players from Isère finished their pool in second position. They then eliminated La Valette and Six Fours, which were in the same group as Cannes Mandelieu, followed by Quillan, Cénac, and Nogaro. La Valette and Six Fours posed challenges for Cannes Mandelieu. Six Fours won at home, one of the two defeats for the azure team. Voiron defeated the Var players 14 to 12. This is an indication of the level of the Voiron team.
At this stage of the competition, all matches are uncertain and can be decided by a detail. Cannes Mandelieu approaches the final sprint with their full squad. A positive point. The club director, Jean-Claude Michalon, has his formula: “You have to win the ball in the forwards’ battle.” The secret to their good journey: “The team is young, most players were trained in Cannes. Those who joined the club integrated well immediately. Being sure of advancing to Fédérale 2 before approaching the final phase, we played these matches freely.” Jean-Claude Michalon remains cautious and recalls that Cannes Mandelieu had difficulties eliminating Ugine, a club from Isère.
Will they be able to overcome the Voiron obstacle to compete in the Fédérale 3 final against CARF or Rennes? The answer will be Sunday evening in Sorgues. The leaders hope that supporters will travel in large numbers to Vaucluse.
