After securing qualification on the final day of the championship against regional neighbors and rivals Grasse, the protégés of President Baldacchino will play the first leg of the playoffs on Sunday at the Arboras, against the formidable team of Limoges, one of the favorites for promotion to Pro D2.
The Nice team will face this challenge as underdogs, with their seasonal goal being participation in the finals, considering their group was deemed the “group of death.” But not having obligatory results doesn’t mean lacking ambition.
Ambition will be needed tomorrow, Sunday, to properly welcome a conquering team like Limoges, led by a former member of the French XV, Cahors Rugby, and SU Agen, a certain Philippe Benetton, who we hope won’t give the Azurean rugby players too hard of a time.
Nice Premium: President Baldacchino, what is the club’s goal in these playoffs?
Christian Baldacchino: It is clear that we are not the favorites. Limoges has a recent past as a Pro D2 team, and we know they are very ambitious.
However, nothing is written in advance, and I know my players are not short on ambition either. I foresee a close match and a strong performance at home that would put us in a good position to play the return match with our chances intact for moving past this round.
NP: Has this season been one of renewal?
CB: We had to clean up the club’s finances, and that was done with the help of the City Hall, without which we would not be here talking about rugby in Nice. The situation we inherited last summer after the dissolution of the SASP and the departure of its main shareholder and fund provider was dire.
We were forced to restructure, and the work of general manager Marc-André Domergue has been excellent. Now the senior sector is in line with the operational standards of others like the rugby school, the youth, the women, and the veterans.
NP: A message for the players ahead of next Sunday’s match?
CB: Thank you for what you have done throughout the season and up until now, in circumstances that were not always easy.
But the season is not over with the match against Grasse, and I expect strong and determined commitment for this eighth-final in the hope that we can create a beautiful surprise.
