Top 14 – For Vannes, an already crippling delay in the fight for maintenance?

On the honor roll, there are some satisfactions and, first of all, this victory on the pitch of Stade Rochelais (23-14) which was good for the heads and the balance sheet. The fact remains that RC Vannes, halfway through this Top 14 which it is discovering for the first time, is significantly behind in the ranking: seven points on 13^e place, that of roadblock occupied by Lyon; eight points on the 12^e place, that of the first maintained (Perpignan). It's already a lot, enormous even for a team which has so far only won 3 of its 13 matches played in the elite. If it does not change its accounting rhythm, the RCV will find it difficult to escape a return to the lower level.

X factors that are missing

So much for the balance sheet. On the ground, this is materialized by findings which reflect the real gap between the Vannes promotion and its competition. Witness the last outing in Pau, the one that was announced as “the match of fear” between the last two in the standings. There wasn't really a match, with a heavy defeat (48-24) and six conceded. “Pau dominated us on all technical levels, in all sectors” admitted Jean-Noël Spitzer afterwards. That day, Vannes suffered in particular in the aerial game and the management of the kicking game, where the length of the Béarnais hurt them. More recurrent this season, there is this physical deficit, that of power, which leaves less room for Jean-Noël Spitzer's men than for their competitors. Which forces them to work longer and harder, too, to hold their line or cross that of the opponent.

This was particularly glaring against Bayonne, a week earlier: if almost all of the statistical lines pleaded in favor of the Bretons, the reality of the score said something else and Aviron, ultimately, with a very meager copy, had not never seemed frankly worried. Which raises questions about the lack of “X factors” in the Vannes squad, these players capable of finishing shots or stopping an opponent's highlight, in a defensive situation.

A physical deficit that hurts at the end of matches

This overall power deficit leads to a double phenomenon. Without always being dominated in possession but struggling close to the lines, Vannes displays this worrying statistic: 38 tries scored in thirteen matches (2.9 per match on average), which is average for this Top 14, but 57 conceded (4.4 per match), by far the worst total. Above all, the physical gap observed forces the Bretons to invest 120% in each sequence, to compensate, which creates a phenomenon of attrition over all matches.

Coupled with a squad depth less than the competition, when the sidelines enter at the end of the match, this deficit ability gives this last statistical observation: in the last twenty minutes of Top 14 matches, Vannes conceded 18 tries (31 % of their total) to register only 8 (21% of their total). This was exacerbated against UBB, which RCV had outclassed in the first period (29-0 at the break) before completely exploding at the end of the match (final score 29-37). If they often hold the standoff until the hour mark, the Bretons tend to bend and break at the end of matches. Clike in Toulon (4th day), where they stuck to the score (21-19 in the 62nd) before conceding a severe 33-0 in 18 minutes.

Relegation? A disappointment, not a disaster

Faced with all of these findings, the signals are clearly dark orange for the Bretons, in their fight to maintain their position. “But we are not going to give up and fight until the end, because there are still a lot of matches left. We will still have cartridges and confrontations to negotiate well” swore third row Simon Augry after the setback in Pau. Especially since this seasonal scenario does not completely surprise them, since the people of Vannes knew from the summer that they were embarking on a perilous path in the Top 14, where they would clearly be the little Thumbs. “We will fight to maintain but I don't know who will be with us, it's very difficult. Today, apart from Vannes, who is in the fight to stay in the Top 14? I have the impression that there are thirteen teams playing for qualifying and one playing for the remainder. I am realistic, not pessimistic. It won't be enough to be at the level occasionally”Spitzer prophesied before the season even started. “A thirteenth place, we sign straight away!”

The feared scenario is confirmed, without too much surprise. And relegation, if it is not desired, is also a subject which is not taboo in Brittany. It is approached as a possible step in the construction of the club, rather than the end of a story. A future which, as a guarantee of stability, will be written again (and always) with Jean-Noël Spitzer at the head of the sports project. “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. Even if I wish to reaffirm that we will fight tirelessly to maintain our position.”, Spitzer still swore when commenting on his extension at the club (2028). The story will therefore continue. At all costs.