the Basque Country votes for Aviron Bayonnais, but Biarritz Olympique puts up resistance

Fictitious, but plausible, dialogue between two Basque supporters: “Arcangues, it's like Bassu', it pisses blue and white! » ; “Whatever, over there, it’s always been red and white!” “. Since the beginning, even… The geographical distribution of fans of Aviron Bayonnais and Biarritz Olympique has long fueled chauvinistic certainties. What is it really? “Sud Ouest” tried to develop a map of support from each side in the Basque Country, by municipality and/or intercommunity, based on an online vote. The final result should be used with moderation: normally, when you love, you don't count yourself out.

1 Rowing wins the numbers derby

More than 8,000 of you (8,194 precisely) participated in our consultation via sudouest.fr, launched on November 7 and closed on the 30th. The question was the following: “What is your favorite professional club? “. Five answers were possible, specifying your place of residence: “L’Aviron Bayonnais”, “Le Biarritz Olympique”, “Both”, “Neither of the two”, “I am not interested in rugby”.

The result of this investigation – which has no scientific value, but allows us to identify some major trends – leans clearly in favor of the club on the banks of Nive. Whether on the scale of the Basque Country (63%) or in the rest of the oval world (70%), Rowing receives around two thirds of the votes. The BO sails between a third (32%) and a quarter (23%). The Swiss in rugby, those who do not want (or cannot) choose, represent 5 to 3%. The other options are residual.

“Numbers” has always been a source of rivalry between the enemy brothers of the BAB. Depending on the period, the stands derby turned in favor of Jean-Dauger, formerly Saint-Léon, or Aguilera, reflecting the passion of the territory at the time. The latter was partly correlated with the sporting level of the moment. Rowing today in Top 14, BO in Pro D2, did this have an impact on the outcome of the consultation? At a minimum, the Bayonne plebiscite would have been smaller if the divisions had been reversed.

2 In Labourd, the blue tide and the die-hard Biarrots

Year of grace 2024 after Jesus Christ. All of Lapurdum is busy… Everything? No ! A village (and its suburbs) populated by die-hard Biarrots still resists the Bayonne invader (1). At the vision of the blue tide flooding Labourd, the westernmost province of the French Basque Country, leaving only a red island around the imperial city, we finally understand what Robert Rabagny, alias Geronimo, the BO mascot, wanted to express. , with his Indian headdress and his smoky story of blue tunics.

On the Coast and the retro-coastal, the unconditional fans of Biarritz Olympique are resistance fighters. The besieged pocket includes Biarritz of course (69%), Bidart (59%), Ahetze (57%), Arbonne (61%) and Arcangues (53%). Not Bassussarry (31%). Like other municipalities in the theoretical catchment area, held by the Bayonnais: Anglet (56%/38%) or Guéthary (56%/37%). Further south, the BO also has a large number of followers in Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Hendaye, but less than Aviron (56%/38% and 57%/36%).

The rest is almost undivided, with in particular an outrageous domination over the sector of the former Nive-Adour community of communes (87%), with Saint-Pierre-d'Irube in the lead (90%). Bayonne and its 82% Avironards are well surrounded here.

Note that 14% of reds would keep a low profile in the sub-prefecture, while 23% of blues would live incognito in the heart of the seaside town. Unless some of these infiltrators are made up of smart guys who hijacked the vote. Good war.

3 The interior rolls for Bayonne, with the exception of Amikuze

The coastal trajectory extends inland, with occasional support from Biarritz here and there, difficult to interpret due to the low number of voters. On the other hand, a scarlet stain clearly emerges: while the old intermunicipalities display percentages close to the general balance of power, the country of Mixe is an exception. Leader in several localities (Aïcirits, Amorots, Arbouet, Béguios, Masparraute), in the wake of a Saint-Palais leader draped in purple (55%), the BO claims some 54% on the scale of the former community of communes of Amikuze.

In our generation, it was largely Rowing

Correspondent of “Sud Ouest” on the perimeter and former player of US Saint-Palais, Philippe Etchegoyen is quite surprised: “In our generation, it was largely Rowing. Several local players played there in the 1970s, Pierre Teillagorry, Michel Etxepare, then in the 1980s, Lucien Lartigue, Francis Camblats. And of course Claude Uthurriscq, who started at the back during the last final of the French championship, against Agen, in 1982 (9-18 defeat, Editor's note). »

Has the attraction color changed with subsequent age groups? This is the thesis of Xabi Comets, an inveterate Biarrot: “Several of us went to play at the BO as young people, in the 2000s, when the club was going strong: Frédéric Harismendy, Serge Gestas and my brother Frantxoa Comets. It must have influenced it, I'm not surprised. »

The presence of local children under one of the two roofs weighs heavily. If Soule is pushing hard behind Aviron (67%/28%), it is also because a contingent of its own rubs shoulders with Pottoka and enters the field to the sound of Peña Baiona: Camille Lopez, Arnaud Erbinartegaray, Yohan Orabe . The argument comes up again among the participants, who note “three souletine nuggets”, including “two Chérautais” (“Erbi” and Orabe).

Conversely, the past aura of Garaztar Imanol Harinordoquy in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and its surroundings seems to have dissipated somewhat. Bayonne dominates Biarrtz within the former Garazi-Baigorri intermunicipality (65%/35%), but also in its capital (59%/41%). It is true that two of his “little ones” trained at US Nafarroa, Tom Spring and Xan Mousques, now wear the Aviron Bayonnais jersey among the pros.

(1) Further inland, on the edge of Labourd and Basse-Navarre, Guiche also votes red and white, by a narrow margin (11 to 7).