For the locals, who return with renewed ambitions after the disappointment of the previous season (elimination by Saint-Etienne will long remain among the worst memories of recent years), it will already be a tough challenge with only one goal: victory.
This is what Marc-André Doumergue, the general manager of the club, tells us:
“Due to the many new players recruited, the team will normally lack cohesion. This is a handicap we must overcome on the field with unwavering commitment because we cannot afford any missteps.
The championship will be very tough this year, and the difference in the standings at the end of the matches will certainly be very tight between the teams that will participate in the final phases and those that, on the contrary, will be excluded and will play the play-downs.
Our ambitions are known, and we want to go as far as possible, even aiming for promotion to Pro D2. A poor performance at home, on the first day of the championship, against a team that deserves our respect but is not considered one of the big guns of the group, would immediately put us in a difficult position.
So, I expect an exemplary match from our players and, especially, a great victory and perhaps even with the offensive bonus point.
The new players will be eager to showcase themselves in their first official match under their new colors. Likewise, the seasoned players will want to perform even better and demonstrate that they remain reliable assets.
However, we didn’t have the preseason we needed.
For various reasons, the planned schedule of friendly matches could not be adhered to, and we come to this meeting without high-quality confrontations that would have allowed us to better test our organization and the quality of our play by making the necessary adjustments.
That said, I remain confident and rely on the team’s desire not to disappoint us for this first day of the championship.”
Answer, this Sunday on the pitch of Arboras and a first full-scale test for the Nice rugby players ready to fight to quickly climb to the top of the standings.
To learn more about the Graulhet club: https://www.scg-rugby.com/
