The Federal 1 Pool 2 will deliver its final verdict on May 1st. Béziers, Montauban, La Seyne sur Mer, and Nice appear to be in a good position to join the final bracket, which will start with a home-and-away round of 16. However, a defeat is forbidden for the people of Nice against the neighboring Grasse team, already relegated to Federal 2, to avoid a possible big disappointment 80 minutes before the final stages, during which anything can happen as Saint-Etienne so well demonstrated last year.
Pool 2 may have been the tightest except for the giant Béziers, who secured qualification a long time ago with its 70 points and will face the 4th of Pool 3 in their round of 16. Behind them are Montauban with 57 points, La Seyne sur Mer just one point behind, and Nice trailing two points behind Montauban. In short, it will be played by a margin, and offensive bonuses will be worth their weight in points.
Rugby Nice Côte d’Azur will thus host Grasse at Arboras in a true round of 32, La Seyne sur Mer will challenge leader Béziers, who will want to finish this stage in style in front of their public, while Montauban will complete their qualifying course in Châteaurenard, who have nothing left to play for. Needless to say, the Azureans have all the cards in hand to open the door to the round of 16. However, be wary of Lavaur, 5th and 1 point behind Nice, who, in case of a loss by the latter against Grasse, could well pip them at the post with a bonus or non-bonus victory against Aubenas. So, nothing is decided yet for the final phase spots.
If the people of Nice emerge in 4th or 3rd position, they would face the first or second of Pool 3, who could be Périgueux or Limoges, respectively. In the event of 2nd position in the pool standings, the Azureans would face RC Vannes in a home-and-away match.
It will be necessary to stay well informed and pull out the calculators at Arboras on Sunday, May 1st, where everyone will hope to celebrate work… well done!
The other pools before the final day of the championship
Pool 1: Massy, Bobigny, Bourg en Bresse, and Montluçon.
Only Dijon and Montluçon will have the opportunity to secure their ticket for the playoffs, and the championship is (well) designed so that a Dijon-Montluçon match is on the schedule for the final day of the championship next weekend. Needless to say, it’s a pool final before its time, with an advantage to Montluçon, who won on their home ground at the end of last year (22-6). Massy has had an excellent run with 17 wins out of 21 already played, while Bobigny follows closely with 16 wins and 5 losses.
Pool 3: Périgueux, Limoges, Vannes, and Marmande
For Périgueux (86 pts), Limoges (85 pts), and Vannes (71 pts), qualification has been secured for some time. It now remains to be seen who between Marmande (61 pts) or Langon (59 pts) will join the trio of qualifiers. Marmande seems in a very good position with a final match at Niort, who are second to last in the standings and already relegated to Federal 2 with only 14 points on the board. Only 3 losses for Périgueux and Limoges in the 18 matches of the pool, two serious competitors for Pro D2.
Pool 4: Tyrosse, Castanet, Lille, and Lannemezan.
In the only pool with 13 teams at the start (the others having 12), the four qualifiers are Tyrosse with 82 points, Castanet with 73 points, Lille with 69 points, and Lannemezan with 66 points. Oloron and Lourdes remain on the sidelines, two former elite members. A strong run by Tyrosse, who only has 5 defeats and a draw for 23 games played, and who will end on a high note in front of their public by hosting Saint Jean de Luz.
