The SUA is now “playing it safe”

AClose to the top 6 during the first eight days, the SUA has since tumbled into the depths of the Pro D2 (12^e). After four defeats in a row, he is only 4 points ahead of relegated Nice and 2 over play-off Valence-Romans, two teams who have already made him bite the dust this season. The situation of the Agenais, who had not lost four consecutive matches since the end of the season spent in freewheeling, is therefore unenviable three days before the end of the first leg.

Reality has caught up with Sébastien Calvet's men who were aiming for the final stages at home next spring. Forgotten “the high objective”, in favor of “the medium objective” of a soft stomach, it is already a question of sounding the alarm to avoid an industrial accident. The defense coach, Adel Fellah, was the first to admit it after the new disappointment Friday evening in Béziers (34-24): “Indeed, we are playing to maintain and the objective now is to quickly take points to get out of this dangerous zone. »

5 wins in 18 matches

If the SUA “is not in crisis”, according to its manager Sébastien Calvet, it is at least in a state of emergency. In their last 18 Pro D2 matches – including the last six days of last season – the Agenais have only won 5 victories. This shows that the dynamic of this team is not good. “Last season, Grenoble was 13^e in December and they end up playing the promotion match,” recalls fullback Franck Pourteau. Of course, there is still hope. But you shouldn't dream either…

“The more we are reminded of the rankings, the more we have to focus on our state of mind”

Courageous in defense and pragmatic for fifty minutes on Friday evening in Béziers, the Agenais again experienced their usual gap in the second half which ruined their evening, while they had taken the lead at the break (15-17). Rather than talking about physical problems or the depth of the bench to go the distance, staff and players agree to highlight “individual errors which are paid for in cash”. But when they recur from one match to the next, isn't the evil deeper in a team without its warriors Duputs and Madigan?

4 receptions in 5 days

Manager Sébastien Calvet will be able to put his mental trainer diploma n°002 to the test over the coming weeks. The SUA is up against the wall. “We are not naive, we know the situation,” assures Adel Fellah. We know that the external environment will constantly remind us of our position. But above all we will remember that we must progress in our Rugby. The more we are reminded of the rankings, the more we have to concentrate on our state of mind and the performance that we must be able to achieve. »

This is why Sébastien Calvet’s first words in the locker room at the Raoul-Barrière stadium were “to have a head for Oyonnax straight away”. Another former Top 14 player in bad shape before what already looks like a “match of fear” in Armandie. The Agenais will do four in a row (Oyonnax, Aurillac, Provence Rugby and Biarritz) over the next five days. A schedule which should allow the SUA to redress the balance and relieve some pressure. Otherwise, the second half of the season could be very tricky.