Pro D2: Béziers really did not consider losing against Provence rugby

There are slippery bends that, if negotiated well, can allow you to gain confidence and accelerate when exiting the bend. The arrival of Provence Rugby, this Friday, in Béziers (9 p.m.) is one of them. A win would allow the Béziers team, currently fifth in the standings, to position themselves at the top of the table and approach the rest of the hostilities with less pressure. The fact remains that Pierre Caillet’s players will have to be up to a task that promises to be difficult. Firstly because the Provençal fifteen is strong. Like Béziers, it has two victories and was not far from the truth in Grenoble (15-12). It therefore arrives in Biterre with the intention of not messing around. Especially since a win away from their base would allow the Aix team to overtake Béziers…

The machine has started up again

On the Béziers side, they assure that they are ready to take up the challenge. The victory at Valence Romans (12-19) got the ASBH machine going again after its home defeat against Biarritz. It now intends to continue its momentum: “We are receiving a big one from Pro D2, who does not hide the fact that they want to move up to the Top 14, assures Sylvain Charlet, the forwards coach, responsible for the Béziers scrum. Our ambition is to play a good match and win it. We reviewed last season’s match, lost at home. This confirmed to us that we must not slow down against this team. Like everyone else, we are still getting into the swing of things and looking for benchmarks. We found some at Valence Romans.”

The closed scrum, a major asset

An asset on the collective level, ASBH having notably shown that it can rely on its closed scrum. Which will not be a luxury against the sixteen-legged monster of Provence Rugby: “They have great individualities and we cannot afford to be just average, we will have to be at 100%, warns Sylvain Charlet, confident in the ability of his forwards. Our scrum is good. We are working hard and everyone is committed. I am satisfied, but as I said to the players, against a big team who also has a good scrum with internationals, there will be something to do.” It is not only up front that we will have to fight, assures the coach, who states that the slightest weakness“will be paid in cash”.

A lesson learned

In the Drôme, the Biterrois also showed themselves to be more patient than against the BO in a game during which they had tended to confuse speed and haste. Often at fault, they had then offered a lot of ammunition to the Basques. A lesson visibly learned by a team that says it is wound up and intends to make its stadium vibrate: “I repeat, we are aiming to win in front of our home crowd, hammers the Béziers coach. We don’t think about defeat. If we have any self-respect, we have to beat them.” Especially since a success would be a great launching pad for Béziers: “This can actually help to tip the balance in the right direction for the next deadlines. Mentally it’s important,” adds Sylvain Charlet.

As for center Branden Holder, when asked who the favorite is, all smiles, he doesn’t hesitate for a second: “It’s Béziers.” It’s going to be very hot this Friday in Raoul-Barrière.