The new season is making its way to the Stade des Iscles in Saint Laurent du Var where the restart has taken place in joy and good humor among the seniors and the women’s teams. A new season that could well see the emergence of a project as ambitious as it is sustainable, to make this club the reference for rugby on the Côte d’Azur.
But there is no miracle solution for the leaders of Stade Laurentin who seem more inclined to prioritize work and passion rather than believing in the arrival of a heavenly—or even financial—windfall to build their future.
It is in order to find out more, a few weeks before the start of the Honneur championship, that Nice Premium gave the floor to Laurent David, former player of RRC Nice and Stade Laurentin Rugby, now the club’s general manager.
Nice Premium: Laurent David, how is this restart going for Stade Laurentin Rugby?
We’re taking it easy, the players are coming back little by little… Things are falling into place… A lot of physical work for the senior category, and the same for the young ones with already a glimpse of the overall game plan.
The different coaches are getting to know their group and vice versa, Thierry CABANIER, Christophe MAIFFRET and Jean Luc LESNE at cadet, Pierre BORGHINI and Christophe MEDON for juniors, Yan and Thierry ESTIVAN with the women’s team, and finally Jean Pierre REY, Jocelyn ROCHIETTA, Stéphane PIOZZA, Jean Luc BORELLI, and Gaétan DECROS for seniors… I’m trying to find my place too!
NP: Is it a manageable group according to you?
The groups have only been released for the seniors. For the other categories, we’ll have to wait a bit longer. A group of 12 “very solid”. We’ve been asking for it for several years, so we’re not going to complain, but let’s say it’s arriving at the worst or the least good year… All the teams in the group have more or less strengthened, and many are announcing or whispering about “promotion”…
NP: Who will be the main opponents for securing the playoffs this year?
ALL OF THEM… Antibes has significantly reinforced, Salon will rely on their excellent young players with a few reinforcements, Saint Saturnin has recruited heavily, Aix is generally young and playful, Ouest Provence always very robust, and finally Uzès and Isles sur Sorgues want to attempt promotion, Arles is descending from F3, meaning every weekend is going to count! We shouldn’t overlook Marseille, Sisteron, and Bagnols who have remained references in the Honneur championship for many years…
NP: And what about the rugby school and the women’s team?
The rugby school starts next week, everything is ready or almost ready to welcome them… As for the women’s team, they have started (even a day before the boys), and they are still waiting for a few more to start their 12-a-side championship in the 3rd division, and they are also enrolled in the 7-a-side tournaments, all in the friendliness and good humor that characterize them…
NP: There’s talk of an ambitious project for the coming years?
I’m not sure if we should talk too much; walls have ears in the region! But, it’s true that we are trying to put things in place for the long term that become enduring and sustainable. So, to outline an ambitious sports project by trying to provide financial means to achieve it. But, above all, the sports side must give itself the means to meet its ambitions!
NP: Reasonably, how do you see this season and what are the avowed goals of the club?
This season is a transition year, the young ones have to take charge (Laughs). The veterans must help and accompany them. Let’s not kid ourselves, we lost a large contingent of our mainstays in the off-season (between Antibes and Nice), so the season will be difficult, I know I can count on the guys who will be keen to prove to me what they’re worth, now I believe the ambitions for promotion are not for us with the view of the other teams, it’s up to the guys to prove me wrong and God knows they’ve often wanted to prove me wrong…
NP: Lastly, what would be the best season for Stade Laurentin Rugby?
I keep repeating, a great season is when everyone finds pleasure in coming to share at the stadium, at the club, at the refreshment stand, where people are proud and respectful of their club…
That I hear about Saint Laurent in a positive light, and even though I know the road is still long, I am personally proud of the club’s progression and stabilization over the past few years…
After all, the results are important because they often generate positivity, but the respect and pride of belonging to Saint Laurent make me say that the season has been good!
