On the occasion of the 32nd finals of the France Regional 1 Rugby Championship, we met Benoit Mazet, coach of RCBBV. He is in charge of the back lines. After the match against Olonzac, RCBBV immediately tried to strengthen the group bonds, to think about something other than rugby, and gradually mobilized the players for this final opportunity of the season.
Benoit, how did the group handle this frustrating defeat in the semi-finals of the Occitanie championship? The toughest part for the group wasn’t the defeat against Olonzac, which is a good team. The coin could have fallen our way, but it didn’t. But what was difficult to accept was that there were three teams competing for two spots in Federal 3. We knew there would be a “scapegoat”. Knowing we were in a good position (best 2nd in the Occitanie league), no one imagined it would be us who were punished… It was really a tough moment.
Was the consecutive mini-break after elimination beneficial, and do you sense the group motivated by something special to achieve something in this final part of the season? The mini-break allowed the players to think about something other than rugby after a long and grueling season. The Occitanie championship is long, with a strange schedule: we played on December 21st and January 11th, and we were given two weekends off in May when the weather is more pleasant for practicing this sport.
“We will give it our all, we have no doubt about it” We had a full week off before getting back to physical training and preparing well for this French championship. The players are motivated, even though the attendance was lower due to extended weekends. The advantage with this group is that the players absorb a lot and as soon as they come together, they are enthusiastic. They are a real bunch of friends. So when it comes to achieving something, they will give it their all, we have no doubt about that.
What do you expect from the Rugby Club Libournais and if you compare the style of this team to one we have already faced, which team would it be? We expect a good team, finishing second in their pool with only five defeats. In the 32nd finals of the French championship, given the difficulty of qualifying, there are no weak teams. Regarding similarities to a team we have played before, it’s hard to say since we have very little information about this team.
Without prejudging the result of this 32nd final, how do you analyze the section of the table where RCBBV is located? The section of the table is quite tough starting with Nouvelle-Aquitaine, which has a very good level of rugby, just like Occitanie. The second round would also be complex as it would also be against Occitanie or Nouvelle-Aquitaine if Sunday’s result is positive. We are not looking further ahead than that for now. We know that in the finals, predictions are often thwarted, so there is no point in projecting too far ahead.
