The poster for the fourteenth day of Top 14 against Stade Toulouse, scheduled for this Saturday at the Marcel-Deflandre stadium, will have a very special flavor for Stade Rochelais supporters. A flavor and the makings of a record in the world of French rugby: the yellow and black club will cross the symbolic bar of 100 consecutive matches played to a sold-out crowd! A feat (almost) as resounding for Stade Rochelais as the two European stars now sewn on its jersey.
With the exception of the matches imposed with partial gauges during the health crisis linked to Covid, Stade Rochelais began this incredible series in January 2016, against the Castres team. Since then, 2,976 points have been recorded and 1.59 million supporters have occupied the aisles of the La Rochelle stadium (Charente-Maritime), without ever leaving a single seat vacant.
Member of the Bagnards Rochelais, one of the supporters’ associations, Gwenael Nanjod is one of these oval convicts, always present even in the rain. “I’ve only missed one game since 2011, and it was truly exceptional. The reception in Castres, I think it was on January 2,” remembers this thirty-year-old without being mistaken. He, who handles a bass drum with others on match days, attributes this record to Marcel-Deflandre’s “atmosphere”: “People immediately want to come back! Opposing players are not whistled unless a very questionable decision is made. Elsewhere, it has become rare. We try to perpetuate this state of mind. And then the players remain accessible. »
7,500 supporters waiting for an annual subscription
President of the 94 “convicts” who make up the association, Maxime Collin confirms and reminds – like others – that no other professional club operates at such a level in the department, apart from the basketball team of… Stade rochelais , entered in Betclic Élite (first division of French basketball). In recent decades, the rugby club has attracted a large audience in search of sporting challenges. “Many came by chance, without necessarily knowing anything about rugby, and fell in with the atmosphere,” sketches Maxime Collin. “This record is just exceptional and it is likely to last a long time, given the number of people waiting for the precious sesame! »
This famous key is the subscription. Be careful, the following figures are dizzying. At the end of last season, only 38 places were released out of nearly 15,000 reserved for the year. The resubscription rate is thus close to 100%. The waiting list includes more than 7,500 people. Without a direct link with the club, the Bagnards Rochelais Facebook page has more than 38,000 subscribers. Another record on the scale of French supporter networks! “The Stade Rochelais is a lot of meetings. Before, during and after the match. They’re friends,” smiles Gwenael Nanjod.
Without this audience, “we would have lost more often”
On the club side, this record and this “sense of belonging” are just as exciting. “It’s incredible! It’s a number that counts, a love story at the heart of our project. We are aware of our luck, it makes us humble, modest and cautious and it puts a certain pressure,” assures Pierre Venayre, the general director of Stade Rochelais.
A question arises: who, these days, still remembers Marcel-Deflandre half empty, half full? “Me, when I was a player, in the 2000s,” jokes this former professional. “We could still lie down in the stands! » Since then, the weight of the public has allowed the yellows and blacks to overturn many games. “Without him, we would have lost more often,” confirms Pierre Venayre. “And it also makes great players want to come and play in La Rochelle. »
The La Rochelle club is once again considering expanding the stadium “fairly quickly” and could thus aim for 18,000 seats compared to the current 16,689. “We have to find the right level and think about things over the long term,” outlines the general director, who does not intend to stop this dynamic or the state of mind that reigns in La Rochelle. Supporters expect no less from the club they love. In the meantime, they will be asked to… do nothing on the occasion of this 100th sold-out match. “It’s a public holiday for us,” laugh Maxime Collin and Gwenael Nanjod. “The club wants to mark the occasion and let us enjoy the show. We can’t wait to discover what they have concocted for us. We tried to find some clues, but we didn’t have any leads! »
