“In attack or defense, he is on all the actions”: Ribérac is counting on Jérémy Besson to reach the semi-finals of Regional 2 rugby

But the Ribéracois also experienced the relegation of his long-time club from Regional 1 to Regional 2 last season.

“The period was very complicated. We’re not going to hide it, we didn’t really know what we were going to become,” explains the player, before saluting the perseverance of its president Éric Fourcade. “He is someone who was a player and who realized that, in the life of a club, there are ups and downs. He deserves the credit for not giving up and continuing to believe in us.”

Rib̩rac (N.-A.) РCisternes-la-For̻t (Aura)

Lieu Uzerche (Nelson-Mandela stadium). Hourly Sunday June 14 at 3 p.m. Arbitrator Mr. Eyrolles (Nouvelle-Aquitaine).
RIBÉRAC L’équipe : R. Mercier – Brouillaud, Blum, Lozeille, Jacquement – (o) Guelle, (m) Charenton – Baldock, Besson, Gagny – Lasjaunias, Calvel – Gargot, Etropie (cap.), P. Mercier. Remplaçants : Caillaud, Bouthinaud, Ruffing, Murrieri, Delugin, Chouffier, Mignon.

Besson is not necessarily the biggest size in the pack, with 70 kg on the scale, but there is no question of him making it a complex. “I try to compensate in other ways. I am lighter, therefore more durable.” He started rugby at CAR as a cadet, after trying tennis and judo.

Frank discussion

Originally from Saint-Germain-du-Salembre, he was pushed by his friends to choose rugby. “It’s a sport that has always attracted me, even when I didn’t do it yet. In my family, it’s very rugby.” He climbed the ranks in the yellow and green club, up to the seniors, in the reserves of Fédérale 2. Besson spent most of his career between the Fédérale 3 and the Régionale 1, and he is still there.

“He’s one of our biggest defenders,” notes his coach Benjamin Mignot. Whether in attack or defense, he is on all actions. He truly serves the collective. It is not a player who plays for himself; what he wants is to take the team as high as possible.”

The match

Ribérac had a stated objective: to reach the quarter-finals. From now on, the staff does not want excess confidence. “We will have to climb a mountain with each meeting. The important thing will be to give everything we have left in the engine, because we have been on the front for a year now,” explains Benjamin Mignot, the coach. The matter will not be simple. Reigning Auvergne champion, Cisternes-la-Forêt reached the semi-finals of the French Regional 3 championship last year. To face it, CAR recorded two returns: Rémy Mercier in the three-quarters and Alex Murrieri in the third row.

On the possibility of continuing his career elsewhere, Besson admits that the idea crossed his mind, without materializing: “The question arose at one point, but then I was entrusted with the captaincy. This naturally weighed in my decision to stay.”

This season, CAR is making progress and has been able to take advantage of its mistakes. “In the group stage, we lost against Bordeaux Étudiants Club. Behind, we had a frank discussion between us and that allowed us to move forward. The defeat in the regional final also left us with a very bitter taste. But looking back, I think if we had won it, maybe we wouldn’t be in the quarter-finals today.”