A few days after the defeat of the Racing Club Narbonnais in the Aude derby against Carcassonne (13-17), and in the middle of the rush of his fruit and vegetable company, President Xavier Marco agreed to speak for half an hour to exchange all the subjects around his club.
The defeat against Carcassonne
How did you live the evening last Saturday and this defeat against Carcassonne (13-17)?
It was complicated. It was a derby, Carcassonne had prepared himself accordingly, we did not enter the game. We made mistakes that served us. They were better than us, you have to know how to recognize it. And recognize our weaknesses. There is this missed start with this first touch which is badly negotiated, and it has destabilized us I think. It has not passed, the conditions did not help, everyone knows that they are used to rain in Carcassonne and that they are more used to it. But you have to positive and keep this confidence. Now the important moments are coming. In more than a week, there is this reception of Langon (Saturday April 26, 5 p.m.)players must wake up and then they must realize that they are lucky enough to be able to live a semi-final, then potentially a final, at home. We are second in the championship, to the players to prepare it well, to be concerned. And then some players will come back from injury, such as Charles Malet and Lopeti Timani. But they were replaced in a very nice way by Luke Nakobukobua, who is for me the man of the match.
Do the two consecutive losses at home (against Périgueux and Carcassonne) Are disturbing?
Yes and no. Yes, because they are defeats against teams from the top of the table, between the 3rd and 6th place. No, because we are still there at the end of the season. These are just missteps and I know there will be a reaction. I trust my group, my staff. These two accidents do not question our vision and the ambitions of this season. It happens to lose at home, we see it in all the championships. Now we have to draw the conclusions from these performances and move forward. You have to move on.
Have you talked to your players since this defeat?
I spoke to them this Thursday morning, on the resumption of training. I told them about my dissatisfaction following the match last Saturday. Because I would have liked to have a positive result, if only to reward the administrative team that did a job of madness to bring 8,200 people to the stadium. I told them that the most important thing was to be ready now. I asked Julien Seron to put the best team possible against Langon, the guys concerned to ensure half the house.
Like many clubs in French rugby, has the idea of changing something through you?
It is not a solution. Already, because financially, it has a cost. And second, it is human to be wrong, on a player choice, how to play. It’s like in all jobs. Sometimes, for example, I’m wrong on purchases in my business. It’s not in my policy, I don’t want to do like some clubs to separate from my staff. This is also why I had our coaches sign for three years because it is not good to have too many changes. Julien, Brice and Sébastien are the cooks of this large kitchen. They do the dishes so that everyone feasts on. This is my vision of things.
The end of the season and the objective of the pro D2
How do you see the rest of the season?
Looking at the painting, we may find Carcassonne again in the semi-finals. We know this team, they were ready to come to Narbonne to play a home dam match. Now when you arrive in the last square, everything can happen. We lived it last year, with this victory in the semi-finals in overtime, this defeat in the final in Chambéry and in access-match by looking at Montauban in the eyes. We were at the gates of a completely different ending. If I knew we were sure to go in Pro D2, I would work differently.
Do you always believe in the ambition of the climb?
I still believe it of course. Our project is really to go to Pro D2, it takes shape little by little, with all the communities behind us, and our shareholders and partners. But we all want to go, Rouen, Chambéry, and the others also want to fight to go up. If we do the job against Langon, we will put the odds on our side, with a rest weekend before the semi-finals, then two home matches to reach the goal.
The Independent – Philippe Leblanc
The stadium project?
During this interview, the president of the Racing Club Narbonnais agreed to answer a question concerning the project around the Park of Sports and Friendship. His answer: “The park will soon be at the center of the city. By seeing the development work, the future projects, the enclosure will be in the middle of Narbonne. Like the mayor, Bertrand Malquier, has already mentioned it, there are discussions, concerning this stadium. These are news files because it is over 50, it was renovated for the Mediterranean Games in 1992. of the long term.
Can Racing go up in Pro D2?
We are in the process of building the project. Our shareholders, whether the big and the smallest, like the partners, are the pilots of our project and that of going to Pro D2. We explained the project to them, our ambitions for this climb and behind, they come to debate. There are exchanges. You have to believe in this project.
Where is the recruitment for next season?
On this side, I was discharged from this mission because I am not really competent. Everyone has their own job as I can say. I rather take care of funding and find funds, I leave this part to Julien Seron, and to Charles Malet who will take up his duties soon as sports director. And then, recruitment will also depend on the division in which we will be next season.
A message to players
What message would you like to send to your players before this end of the season?
I want them to realize that they may have the chance to end this season with a semi-final at home, a final at home and why not a title of champion of France. It is not all the time that it can happen. So it’s also up to them to enjoy these kinds of moments. Now the ball is in their camp, it’s up to them to get to work and play. From there, they will make people vibrate.
