50 years old, 20th season at the head of the RC Vannes sportsman, Jean-Noël Spitzer has given his agreement to extend his Breton love story for three seasons. Without wooden tongue, pure granite.
Jean-Noël, can you confirm your extension for three seasons?
Yes, yes, we have an agreement even if it is not signed because we have things to see about the organization. But I gave my oral agreement to the president.
We were on a 20-year cycle, are we going back for 20 years?
(laughs) There are still laws, today my retirement will be at 67. But yes it’s a new cycle. We still have prospects for development at the club, we want to carry out the few projects that are ahead of us.
A few weeks ago, speaking about your future, you explained that you would not close any door, entry or exit, but that it would not be “at all costs”, add two or three more years. What is the main reason behind your extension?
It is the fact that there is a new system of governance within the club with the arrival of new shareholders, people who come for the RCV and who share two things, the RCV and Brittany. There is a supervisory board, there is a management board, we have people who will support us who are Breton business leaders, Breton companies, who have RCV at heart, regardless of whether it is at the top 14 or in Pro D2, and then our territory. Our organization will breathe new life into athletes.
Also read:
Top 14 – Jean-Noël Spitzer extends at Vannes until 2028
So no weariness?
It’s a tiring job but like others, a job of passion. All these jobs are energy-intensive, this type of job is not the most unpleasant.
I am deeply Breton
Breton Rugby, is it your most beautiful mistress?
My wife is not going to be happy! In any case, it’s a big part of my life and I have the feeling that we’re not yet at the end of the adventure.
This Breton tattoo on the forearm, is it even deeper than a simple tattoo?
Of course, I am deeply Breton, today everything that is happening in the world, whether on an environmental level or on a societal level, makes me even more attached to Brittany.
You were not the only one on the staff to reach the end of your contract. There is almost the entire staff, is that one of the things you are negotiating at the moment?
Today is one of the discussions after the oral agreement and the signing, certainly.
Is there a reflection on a reorganization, a tightening, an increase in staff in the way of training? A defense coach on the way?
Frankly, we are not closing the door on anything, neither for next season nor for now. We are always open to reflection even if I am not at all in favor of working “in silos”, defense on one side, attack on the other. There will not be a specific defense coach like a specific attack coach. Everything is linked. Today, we do not feel a specific need for it but we are not closing the door.
The first third of your first season as a coach in the Top 14 has passed, you had targeted the differences to expect with Pro D2, greater speed, reduced space and time… Were you surprised by other things?
It’s not specific to the Top 14 but we ultimately discover that we are a special sport where we manage to change the rules during the season. There is no other team sport that works like that, it’s specific to rugby, you have to adapt. Between the 9th and 10th day, the rule on kicking will be modified again, the twenty-minute red card will only last for one match, Wales – Fiji. It’s specific to rugby…
Also read:
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Do you still have room for improvement this season? Do you have glass ceilings?
We do indeed have aspects of the game where our margin for progress is very limited. We will not have any progression in terms of speed or power. It is linked to the intrinsic qualities of our players. On the other hand, we still have room for improvement in the game, the contact game and in particular the ground game. It is a question of a mutual understanding of the imperatives to be had, that is obvious. But on the ground game and the aerial game, we recreate a situation where the referee’s margin of interpretation is too great, it can influence the result. We must do everything to reduce and not increase this gray area of interpretation. Otherwise we won’t be coherent, that’s how it is.
The first huge block of nine matches has passed, a new Neapolitan-style block arrives with the championship and the European Cup, what do you expect?
That still remains ten consecutive matches, certainly interspersed with European Challenge matches. We see it as a breath of fresh air, the pressure will be different, the experience too, we will approach it with a view to progress, we take it very well.
“They didn’t know it was impossible, they did it”, is that now your mantra for operation maintenance?
Yes, we are not eliminated from this competition even if we can wonder: we realize that since 2013, no promotion has maintained its position. We can wonder about the transition between the two divisions. Are there communicating vessels? Not really. The probability of continuation over the last ten years is non-existent. The League should question this difficulty which is certainly too great in the first year. Since Oyonnax more than ten years ago, no team has managed to maintain its first accession. No other French team sport faces this difficulty.
