L’équipe de Balaruc, ambitieuse en élite 1.
Elite 1/Mid-term review for the Balaruc club, 2nd, one point behind the leader, Cro Lyon. St-Vulbas is 4th, three points behind with two games in hand.
After coming so close to a European title in the final four in Croatia (10/12 defeat against the Italians of La Perosina), the Balaruc team had to get back to work in the Elite championship with the ambition of qualifying for the final of the French championship and the European Cup.
After the bitterness and regrets, upon their return, the Balarucois suffered a defeat in Saint-Vulbas (18/31) in mid-November. But since then they have returned to victory, first by hosting Fontaine (32/20) and then by traveling to Montélimar last Saturday (30/20). To catch up on the delay in European matches, the calendar was adapted and the return match against Montélimar was scheduled for the following day.
Balaruc avoids the trap
So it was on Sunday that Montélimar came to Pech Méjà. It is never easy to play against a team that you have just beaten the day before. And Balaruc did not fall into this trap. If in the first leg, the start of the match was to the advantage of the Montiliens, in Pech Méjà, the locals proved to be intractable by winning all the events, the first two rounds (traditional and races) and the races of the 3rd round.
At half-time, victory was assured (25/8). To finish, the last round devoted to the traditional allowed the Balarucois staff to make changes in the team compositions allowing all the players to evaluate themselves, final score 27/20.
The opportunity also to take stock with Emmanuel Bilon, the sports director: “The start of this new season was very busy since we had the European Cup. In the championship, for the moment, the schedule is respected, despite some difficulty, in particular a defeat in Saint-Vulbas, just after the European Cup where we had eliminated them in the semi-final of the Final four. But we will try to finish the year 2024 with a maximum of points, by receiving, from Saturday 21, the team of La Motte-Servolex.”
Balaruc will then have meeting, at home, with La Cro Lyon just after the holidays, on January 4th. “Where everything is likely to be decided to obtain one of the top two in the ranking with the key to a European qualification, the club's priority objective. And if one day we succeed, to win the title of Champion of France. The squad has been enriched by two recruits who have won world titles, Julien Molager and Bastien Paradis. To date, we can't do much better. We can still improve the team, because we are pulling on the “string of some”. For next season, we will still try to improve, and then we will see; little by little, we will get there.”
Good start for the ladies
At the same time, the Balaruc women's team is having a very good run in Elite 1, for its second year of participation. Ranked in the middle of the table at mid-season after having gone to get two victories, including one against Saint-Vulbas, currently 1st in the ranking and the other in Saint-Vallier. It should quickly move up in the general ranking with the four remaining matches of the group at home.
Next crucial meeting Saturday January 4: Balaruc – CRO Lyon, 1:30 p.m. at Pech Méjà.
Béziers dominates elite 2
Béziers has not given up since the start of the first phase in elite 2. Leader with six wins in six matches. Victorious over Aix-les-Bains last Saturday, 32-17. In the other group, Romans displays the same domination, seven out of seven, which promises a nice duel next year! But first, on January 4, Béziers will travel to St-Vallier.
The women's team has an identical record (six wins in six games), first with a five-point lead over their pursuer, Beaujolaise. Victorious at Fontaine last Sunday, December 15, they will travel again at the start of the school year, on January 5, with a shock opening match against their “first” runner-up.
N3, 1st phase (group 6): Pignan is also unbeaten in 5 games. On January 4, he will host the derby face à Béziers II (4th).