On Sunday, March 22, 2026, during the penultimate day of Regional 1 rugby, the Lalinde club in Dordogne secured their ticket to Federal 3 for the upcoming season. This ticket was obtained with a home victory against Urca/Saint-Yrieix (28-17). A few days after this promotion, the whole town of Lalinde is showing its support and attachment to the Yellow and Black team.
At the Café de la Paix in Lalinde, they continue to talk about this “promotion match”. “I was on the edge of the field, there was a huge crowd in the stands, I had not seen that in several years,” explains Cyril, leaning on the bar counter. “It was a magical moment, an event. It’s like Paris Saint-Germain winning the Champions League, that’s how we experience it,” he says without hesitation.
Next to him, Sylvain, the owner of Café de la Paix, follows USL at every home game, pitchside, and is “happy to see Lalinde return to Federal 3”. “We are a rugby land, with a former French international [Jefferson Poirot], over a hundred licensees, and a first team that has dominated this season. It’s only natural to see them back at the federal level.”
Victor Varas, coach and “guru” of the team, is well-known on the rugby fields of Périgord. He arrived in Lalinde last summer with the mission to get promoted to Federal 3. “It is clear that he has met all the project requirements in record time, with incredible consistency,” says Jean-Marc Mérillou, the club’s co-president. “Here he is a magician, a guru.”
After a discussion at a local café, the US Lalinde players are training under coach Victor Varas. “The 67-year-old coach, well-known in Périgord, arrived in Lalinde last summer with the mission of moving up to Federal 3,” says Jean-Marc Mérillou, the club’s co-president. “Here, he’s a magician, a guru.”
Observing this famous “magician”, one quickly feels the energy that the manager has managed to transmit to his players. “That’s why I came back to Dordogne, to pass on my knowledge because I quickly realized there was potential in this team,” explains Victor Varas. “Even though I am older, I quickly understood how a young team’s dressing room works, you need JUL and not Piaf,” he jokes.
“For me, it’s clear that US Lalinde was not in the right place in Regional 1 and that this club needed to return to Federal 3. I even think the team and the club should aim to move up to Federal 2 as well, it’s probably the perfect spot for USL,” concludes coach Varas, before grabbing his whistle to set the tone for training. US Lalinde still has one more championship day to play against Cognac, this Sunday, March 29 at 3:30 p.m.
