This afternoon, it doesn’t matter if you are nearsighted, equipped with a pair of binoculars or if Mother Nature gave you an eagle’s vision at birth, we are putting our best hand in the fact that you will spend 10, 15 or even 20 minutes if necessary looking for Pierre Mignoni in the stands. A sort of “where’s Charlie” revisited with Mayol sauce? In any case, two days after the announcement of his suspension, the RCT coach will have no other choice but to be perched in the stands.
Nothing new compared to the match against Racing 92? Oh yes! For two reasons. Last week, his height gain was a choice. And above all, because this time, Pierre Mignoni will be deprived of any form of communication with his staff. Before, during, after the match. A heartbreak, even a loss of meaning for “Pierrot”. But from a situation that everyone would have done without, the Var locker room promised to draw something positive.
Six games without the captain of the ship, what if this was an opportunity for certain voices to be raised? We are not thinking here of the usual leaders such as Ribbans, Serin or Baubigny, but more of Isa, White or Frisch, who must absolutely have more influence on the game and the group than they have had since the start of season.
Eyes for some, voice for others
But inevitably, in addition to the balance between the players, the real problem will concern the staff. “Usually, we communicate constantly with Pierre. Whether he is in the stands or on the sidelines… But he won’t be there, so it’s up to us to ensure that the players receive the right messageprophesied Sergio Parisse. To do this, we must be clear in our communication with Max [Petitjean] and Sandrine [Agricole]”the two thinking heads on the edge of the lawn. “Pierre will not be able to be there physically, so with the staff we have established everyone’s role.”
Andrea Masi, Sergio Parisse and Eric Dasalmartini will be the eyes. Maxime Petitjean (helped by Sandrine Agricole (1)) will be the voice. With common objectives: to transmit, reassure and be one step ahead of the Hérault staff. A mechanism that will have to be mastered almost instantly. Because the RCT has no more time to waste. With two defeats in a row, Toulon lost the margin that its good start to the season had given it. Receipt of an MHR in full doubt (10 points, 11e) must serve to relaunch the Var machine, while allowing the provisional version of the staff to grow.
Schematically, we say that the child must be capable of “killing the father” in order to become an adult. There, it was the LNR which took care “kill” Pierre Mignoni, as a member of the club told us. It is therefore up to the players and staff to show that they are capable, for six weekends, of using the absence of their leader to grow. Or how to fill the empty part of the glass half full.
1. The only member of the management to have the diploma to be as close as possible to the pitch, the RCT physiotherapist has substituted her medical role (since she cannot leave her coaching rectangle) for that of on-board coach ground.
