The Rugby Club Vannes is happy to formalize the extension of its manager of the professional group, Jean-Noël Spitzerfor the next three seasons, until 2028.
At the head of RC Vannes for almost 20 years, Jean-Noël Spitzer took it from Fédérale 2 to the Top 14. A first in history for a Breton club. From the amateur world to the elite of his sport, an almost unique trajectory in high-level sport which notably earned him recognition by his peers by being elected best Pro D2 staff last season.
Olivier Cloarec, president of the Rugby Club Vannes : « I am very happy and proud of Jean-Noël Spitzer’s extension, which is part of a sustainable performance objective. For different reasons and despite numerous requests, his choice fell on the Vannes project and the many challenges that await us. I can only rejoice about it. With him, accompanied by all the players, club employees, our supporters and partners, we experienced great collective emotions forever engraved in our hearts. We will experience many more during these next three seasons. Together, we will continue to structure the Rugby Club Vannes with the ambition of perpetuating the club, and with it all of Brittany, within the elite of French rugby. »
Jean-Noël, despite several requests, you made the choice to continue your adventure with RC Vannes, you who have already known almost everything here. We imagine that this choice was carefully considered?
I have the feeling that the club continues, again and again, to grow and progress, particularly through the modification of its governance. There are numerous development projects and this is stimulating on a daily basis. In these development projects, I am thinking, in particular, of those planned at the Stade de la Rabine. This is a major issue for the structuring of the club and we feel that the signals are positive from our institutional partners, primarily the city of Vannes, and from our private partners. This is a strong characteristic of our club and its project, we do not depend on a single patron. We feel a real collective momentum behind us. Feeling that the club is not stagnating, that it is progressing and that it is always looking to the future was an important element in my decision. Also, even if I wish to reaffirm that we will fight tirelessly to maintain our position, I can assure you that with my entire group we are convinced that we can do it. I am also fully aware that, for a promotion like us, the return to Pro D2 is a probability. RC Vannes is my club, I am strongly attached to it, and morally I did not feel like leaving after a potential descent, that weighed in my choice.
What is your vision and ambition for these next three seasons?
The club must set itself the objective of moving into the Top 14, this is the objective that we must all set collectively. Several factors mean that this year’s accession could not be optimally anticipated and I believe that the leaders are fully aware of this and want to remedy this. We want to have the capacity to exist in the Top 14 and to perpetuate Rugby Club Vannes in the elite of French rugby and we will put all the necessary energy into it. Whether it involves a decline or not.
As manager of the professional group, you necessarily have an informed view on our training? Is this also an important element for the evolution of the club?
Yes, I think we must be able to offer young people in our region the opportunity to access the professional world. This is one of our missions. Today, the training of young players is an extremely competitive environment, certainly too much, but we are not the ones who write the rules. However, we have some young people in the Crabos category, particularly at the back, who are full of potential and we undoubtedly need to strengthen our detection policy on the fronts. But the key remains the same, to get young people to evolve and progress we must accept the bias of making them play with the risk that this entails but that is what we do in Vannes.
We know that you are also very attached to Brittany, its culture and its identity. Did that influence your choice?
Yes, it weighed heavily. It’s a strong choice because I’m 50 years old and I could have made a more individual decision but there is also this very emotional choice to stay in Brittany, here in Vannes.
Any last words for our supporters?
We are only a third of the way through the championship and in the British rankings we are at the same level as Pau. We are in the battle, we are not lost, we are where we hoped to be. The only real disappointment is this second half against Racing but the key for us remains our ability to progress collectively and individually. We must be better from month to month knowing that from now on, we will welcome the teams who are just ahead of us in the standings to La Rabine. We must do everything to stay in the battle until the end.
