The sick Iafrate and Ngapandouetnbu are able to train again when the Usamists return to college.
Nimes Olympic
Simon Ngapandouetnbu is no longer ill and he will be able to play against Le Mans. • Photo : Anthony Maurin.
I found it suitable for Le Mans. The competition is finally back. Almost a month after its last championship match, the NO returns to the National. Remaining on three defeats (Beaucaire in the French Cup, Bourg-en-Bresse and Quevilly-Rouen in the championship), the Crocodiles (15th with 13 pts) will not have the right to make mistakes on Friday at 7:30 p.m. against Le Mans (13th). with 14 pts) who is still in contention in the Coupe de France, but who has lost his last three matches in the championship. It is therefore an opposition between two clubs in poor form which will be played at the Antonins stadium as part of the 14th day. The Nîmes will be able to count on the presence of their goalkeeper Simon Ngapandouetnbu, who was ill with flu symptoms at the start of the week, but who regained all his abilities this Wednesday. Defender Jérémy Iafrate, who was in the same situation as the Cameroonian goalkeeper, has also returned to training. On the other hand, Ronny Labonne will not face the Sarthois, since he will be suspended after receiving three yellow cards in a period of three months (Dijon, Boulogne-sur-Mer and Quevilly-Rouen Métropole). It is therefore probably Hamza Sbaï who will occupy the right-back position on Friday.
The Nîmes Olympique reserve no longer wins in the championship. • Photo: Norman Jardin.
The reserve stalls. After an encouraging start (three wins and a draw), the Nîmes Olympique reserve (R1) has been struggling since the beginning of November. Two drawn results (Vauvert and Mende) which were followed by a defeat and a draw conceded against poorly ranked teams (Saint-Clément-Montferrier and Frontignan) have tarnished the NO's course a little. From a potential leader, the NO fell to sixth place, six points behind the first (Montpellier Atlas Paillade). However, and beyond the figures, Mickaël Gas, the coach, is satisfied with the performances of his players: “Against Vauvert and Mende, we conceded a goal in added time. Then, we did not deserve to lose against Saint-Clément and we fielded a very young team with U19s. Finally, in Frontignan, we played again with a majority of U19s and the little ones hung on. The team is very young. She continues to learn and I am very happy with my players”. In the middle of this series of matches without a win, the young Nîmes still won in Saint-Jean-de-Védas (R3) for the round of 32 of the Occitanie Region Cup. Before the break, the Nîmes Olympique reservists must still face, in the championship, Béziers (December 7) and Fabrègues (December 15).
USAM
The Nîmes at college. As part of the first stage of the “Sportsmen at college” operation, USAM players went to Feuchères college in Nîmes. Rémi Peyre, Guéric Vincent and Dylan Sé took the opportunity to meet 6th and 4th grade students. With Unicef Gard-Lozère, the handball players led workshops on the theme of children's rights. The middle school students left with autographed photos of the Usamists. The “Sportsmen at college” system is set up by the Gard Departmental Council, to allow middle school students to meet clubs and high-level athletes in the department.
Rugby Club Cevenol
Conclude in style. With confidence, the Cévennes Rugby club approaches its last meeting of the calendar year with the ambition of completing a positive series. Eric Sanchez's men, buoyed by two consecutive successes before their weekend of rest, intend to strike a big blow in Saint-Saturnin, Sunday afternoon, against a direct competitor in the ranking. The RCC remains on a good away victory against Draguignan (25-29), followed by a solid success at home against Mourillon on November 24, a Var team in difficulty. This time, a challenge of a different caliber awaits the Rouge et Noir. Saint-Saturnin, sixth with 19 points, one more than the Cévenols, eighth. Note, however, that the Provençaux have two games in hand, making any comparison difficult. Despite everything, the Cévenols do not lack ambition. “Make a nice move”, we slip behind the scenes of the club. However, the players are present at training despite the winter temperatures, a sign of general mobilization. A positive result against a direct opponent would be the icing on the cake of a promising end to the year for the RCC. Enough to approach the holidays with serenity and start 2025 with extra confidence…
