Postponed due to bad weather last weekend, the trip of Nice’s team to visit the leader of the group was finally rescheduled for this weekend, and as a result, the Nice players will be traveling to Burgundy for a match that, on paper, seems lost but…
!
Tradition dictates that there is at least one upset every season: Therefore, we are legitimately waiting for this to happen this year for the Azurian rugby players. The schedule offers only two opportunities, next Sunday in Bourg or the following week against Montauban at Arboras.
Thus, we hope, with a certain confidence, that Jean Anturville’s men will ultimately play the wild card from a game that is still a bit disorganized. The Azurians need some nobility for a season that should be quickly forgotten as the gap between initial ambitions and current reality is obvious.
But the performances on the field are also the result of the club’s management, its internal climate, and its future prospects. So what’s the point of demanding a certain commitment from players who are not paid regularly and who, for the most part, already know they will be playing with different teams next season?
Of course, there’s the sportsmanship that dictates one must give their all on the field, regardless of the situation, but when the heart isn’t in it anymore, it’s hard to follow words with actions.
How can one give their best when the sword of Damocles is hanging over the club’s head, with possible relegation to Fédérale 3 for financial reasons? Everyone eagerly awaits the verdict from the DNACG/FFR auditors who had given an extension until February 15 for the club to provide the necessary guarantees for the validation of the projected budget. As of today, nothing is official yet but rumors suggest the club’s management is unable to satisfactorily meet the conditions set by this federal commission.
Moreover, Nice Premium had pointed out the opaque situation surrounding Mr. Deffins, the new president, from the start. He brought forward a highly ambitious strategic action plan, yet never followed through on his investment promises, and provided even less proof of his alleged financial solidity.
We are still wondering why and how the city of Nice could approve this project for the sole reason that its moral guarantor was a former glory of Azurian rugby, when many other analyses and considerations should have taken place before favoring the takeover of the club’s management by a few largely minority dissenters.
Finally, beyond his ability to market “his” product, Philippe Deffins never seemed like the right person for the job, while his local colleagues preferred, with perceptive obstinacy, to spend most of their time criticizing their predecessors rather than showing their true worth.
So, we can only hope for the classic last-minute miracle in the best interest of Nice rugby, which, victim of these power games, risks reliving a situation similar to that of the now-defunct Racing Rugby Club of Nice.
Should Mr. Deffins leave as he arrived, who should be thanked for such promptness and foresight? Perhaps the public decision-makers should not have been mistaken in considering a mere blusterer as the strategist of the situation!!!
