The Pro D2 shows halfway through that two teams particularly stand out. And behind them, people are jostling at the gate.
We know the fall champion: he was crowned the day before the transition to winter and it is FC Grenoble! The Isérois confirmed in Nice their excellent dispositions and demonstrated that they are, after three lost accession play-offs, the team best placed in all respects to move up to the elite. If we only had to remember one statistic, it would probably be their points scored: almost 50 points scored at Stade Niçois at home, in addition to the 34 inflicted against Brive, 26 at Stade Montois, 65 against Colomiers, 37 against Soyaux-Angoulême… The list does not stop there.
And the impressive attack is reflected in the standings since Grenoble is now five points ahead of Brive. “The big guys in the division are where they need to be, observes Columérin coach Florian Nicot. For the moment, we feel that they are standing out in terms of their performances, already, and then in terms of the ranking.” Exactly, are we witnessing the first breakaway at the head of this Pro D2?
CA Brive, despite the weight of high expectations (and their consequences), responded favorably during this first half of the championship. The manner can sometimes leave something to be desired and the Stadium crowd knows how to make itself heard. But when the planets align, as was the case against Colomiers, who is really able to respond to this armada?
“Many applicants halfway”
Further down, you need to count five additional points to find the rest of the competition, with Béziers and Provence Rugby in ambush. The first city experienced an eventful autumn for non-sporting reasons but found a return to form in November. The second suffers from bad press outside, which is less and less fair. His offensive inclinations and the bonus points gleaned at Colomiers and Dax demonstrate an improvement.
Behind, the noose is tightening, with five other teams in the top 6 or within five points maximum. And even the others are not discouraged. “For the race for the top 6, we absolutely had to win this weekend, Florian Nicot is satisfied. We look at the British rankings a lot, you should know that by now. And we are three points from the top 6. We are ahead of Biarritz, although better ranked overall. We will hold on to this quest and continue to fight. We want to be part of the clubs that matter for this second part of the season.”
Although defeated in Haute-Garonne, Olympic Biarritz, which was deducted five points by the LNR, shared this positivism. “What strikes me is that no one stands out, precisely. That's what I like. At the end of the day, I still see it at the end of this 15th day, I tell myself that we are capable of winning everywheresmiled Boris Bouhraoua. The others too, obviously. Halfway, there are a lot of applicants for this famous top 6. Afterwards, you will have to be very meticulous, strategic and physically good too. There will be a strong money time this year in May and we want to be there.” We can't wait to be there…
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