With its 550 members in its senior, junior, women’s, and veterans sections, Stade Laurentin Rugby is the second club in the Alpes-Maritimes department.
Nice Premium met with Laurent David, a former player of the defunct RRC Nice and former coach of the Nice women’s team, French champions. The Niçois has thus crossed the Var river for six years and is about to take a new turn in his rugby career as he becomes the general manager of the club after having served as the coach during the past seasons.
If rugby in Nice resembles more of a vaudeville, in Saint-Laurent-du-Var, the local spirit gives a comedic air to a club comfortable in its boots and with, this year, a real ambition to build the solid foundations needed for the club’s progress.
With a first team competing in the Honneur league, after a remarkable scenario deprived them of promotion play-offs to Fédérale 3 last year, and a thriving rugby school, Stade Laurentin Rugby can harbor some ambition with, perhaps, a promotion to Fédérale 1 in the coming years.
Laurent David, the new general manager, reflects on the past season and the objectives for the upcoming one, leaving, as usual, no space for political correctness in the locker rooms…
Nice Premium: Laurent David, a new season approaches for Stade Laurentin Rugby. How are things shaping up?
Laurent David: Well, for the first year in six years (since I arrived as a coach at the club), I have seen several player departures, something we were not used to… While previous seasons’ work by my staff had been satisfying, it seems that this year, a few players did not always appreciate the work done… It’s a shame not to have discussed it together; I’m not saying everything was perfect, we floundered in organizing and maintaining our living space particularly. Afterward, it seems to me that, on the sports front, I maintained the same rigor I have had for six years. So be it, and I wish them well…
For next year, we have already reorganized our living space to share more convivial moments together, and we will be more attentive to the players’ expectations. All the promises we made were kept, often with delays, but they were kept. Then, on the sports front, I tried, as I always do, to satisfy everyone so that both groups function at their best, which was not well-received. I am sorry and surprised because, of course, the grievances came back behind my back without anyone daring to tell me face to face what had not worked in my approach… So, after a period where I felt betrayed and above all heard plenty about my club (which was hard to digest), I am now preparing for the next season with the players who want to commit to what I have always done – work, work, work with good humor and respect for everyone…
The players who stayed ALL expressed their willingness to give their all without counting the cost, so ISSA, to work!!!
NP: Play-offs narrowly missed last year with a maneuver regarding standings. What are the goals for the upcoming season?
LD: Last year was difficult with a start to the season where perhaps we all saw ourselves a bit too “grand”, probably myself first… After some setbacks, especially a home loss to Martigues and a defeat at Bagnols, we changed our way of working, and the group responded well, and we got back on track. But, alas, with this shaky championship proposed by the Provence committee, the early-year lag followed us to the end, and the “anecdote” of the end of the year shouldn’t hide that the season in terms of results was average, even if I feared this season a lot after an undeserved drop from F3, that’s the way it is, that’s sport. Then, what to say, that the two qualifiers from our pool got back to F3; everyone knew more or less that pool 1 was strong with the big stables of Martigues and Gap, the means are not the same; we are not playing in the same league…
The objectives for the coming year are simple. The work done over the years must continue. We must bounce back even if everyone at the club is aware that it will be difficult. But the club is getting organized, and every year we try to take a little step forward. We don’t claim to skip any steps, short-term work doesn’t interest me… That’s why I asked Jean Pierre REY to join us to coach the senior group, so I can take a step back from the work of the four categories that are cadets, juniors, women, and seniors…
NP: And on the juniors and rugby school side, everything is going well, I believe?
LD: Yes and no… I start from the principle that we can always do better… The rugby school has always more or less worked well, now we can only be satisfied with the organization of the Mayen and Auréliano tournament, we can only be satisfied with the ever-increasing number of kids running on the Iscles, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, knowing we are not far from capacity today. Now, we must make the effort to internally train our educators with the challenges they encounter daily. I will try to implement this next year with the technical manager of the rugby school through theoretical and practical morning work sessions so that we are in direct contact with the realities of the field and the kids of Saint Laurent du Var rugby. After all, we are always in search of new educators willing to take care of our young kids.
In terms of results, that doesn’t interest me; what I want is for our kids to “enjoy” themselves on the field and for the work proposed to be in line with our kids’ expectations…
NP: Is Saint Laurent du Var the second club in the department?
LD: We can even say we were first for a few days (Laughs). Between the liquidation of Rugby Nice Côte d’Azur and the creation of Stade Niçois where, overnight, a newly created club saw all former members joining the new club, Sic!
But indeed, we currently have about 550 members, spread across the rugby school, cadets, juniors, women, seniors, veterans, and the “touch” section. This number has consistently increased over the past 5-6 years, and today we have reached our almost maximum, particularly when it comes to organizing field use. This proves that the work of everyone, from managers to educators and players, is bearing fruit… Today, we wish to sustain these numbers, proving that rugby in Saint Laurent du Var is not “as bad” as some would like to say… But we must remain vigilant and attentive to the improvements we can bring to our members so that everyone finds their place in the club…
NP: What are the projects and objectives for the club as a whole?
LD: The objectives remain the same, to try to advance the club as a whole without neglecting any section. Learn from past mistakes to not repeat them and improve the overall functioning. When I look back after six years at the club, I can see the tremendous progress we’ve made; when I look ahead, I realize the road is still long, and we need to work to get there. Nothing will fall from the sky, and it’s in difficulty and hardship that everyone can contribute to the building, some will bring a pebble, others a paving stone, or even cement, but the building solidifies year after year, and the momentum must remain positive…
NP: Finally, what would constitute a good season for the General Manager that you are?
LD: Firstly, it’s new for me, and I am discovering it day by day because as a general manager, I don’t quite know what it is. My role is, first of all, to put the right people in the right places, then to accompany the educators of the youth, women, and seniors’ categories, to organize internal training within the club, to lead educators to ask the right questions so that the work implemented benefits the participants during sessions.
Finally, I will try to cascade the “ambitious” game project of the first team down through all the categories I oversee. So it will demand time from me, presence on the field with the kids and their educators, but I must say this work should please me. I plan to spend my time on the field to ensure the club’s sporting activities progress further. I hope not to run out of steam and to find necessary support from my coaches and the kids so that the work and efforts pay off… My realm is the field, the ball, the kids, the game, and the rest I leave to those who don’t enjoy that…
So, a good season for me would be that all participants find pleasure in what we have to offer them; there will be smiles and tears, but as long as friendship, desire, and pleasure are present, for the rest, I’ll let others do the math! For me, the most important thing remains to capitalize on this opportunity to make Saint Laurent du Var, if not the first club in the department, at least by far the happiest!
