Vice-champions of France, the Montalbanais finally find today the competition in their room, with great ambitions.
Pandas-Toulouse Olympic Stadium, today Saturday, at 4 pm, in Montauban (Fobio sports hall).
After a closely fought wheelchair rugby world cup marked by silver medals won by Les Tricolores and Lionel Alazard, the national competition is finally getting its rights back almost 6 months after Catalans Dragons won the national title against a … pandas. The Pandas themselves have the honor of receiving a “new look” for this first day of competition. In fact, following club defections, FFR XIII were forced to regroup last year’s two divisions into two geographical groups (East/West), where the teams will play each other’s legs. The best of each area will then face their counterparts from the opposite group in the final stages; the unqualified will find themselves in the final stages Elite 2. Thus, the Pandas will initially battle with Aingirak Euskadi, Biganos, the Lions of Saint-Jory and the Toulouse Olympic Stadium.
Maxime Chatain takes control of the team
It is the latter who come to visit this Saturday at the Pandas at the Fobio. Scudetto winners in Elite 2, Stade Toulousain / Toros de Saint-Jory Entente (renamed Stade Toulousain Olympique) do not land as a patsy victim with one of the eventual title contenders. In fact, the team has brilliant players and above all a very united and well-oiled collective. Among the Pandas, the workforce is almost unchanged and it is more on the sidelines that the animation of the low season will have affected. In fact, Benoît Farges and Régis Thomas are leaving, having wanted to retire after so many years of good and loyal service. From now on it is Maxime Chatain, former coach of Bressols XV, who leads the Pandas. It is a return to the origins given that he had played in their ranks from 2012 to 2017 until the year of the French championship title Elite 2. The first months of collaboration will have been very rich and constructive… and should allow the Pandas to maintain their their goals to remain in France’s wheelchair rugby elite. For this there are still executives like Yannick Martin (retired from the World Cup, selected with Spain), Nicolas Lemaitre or Vincent Rose. We will wait to see the progress of the young Miguel Duran, very important for his “rookie” year. Montalban’s players are eagerly awaiting their return to competition and will above all seek to regain the collective momentum and defensive solidity, which was one of last season’s great strengths.
For this cover the team is complete and Maxime Chatain, for his first composition, will be able to count on: J.-Y. Ducos, L. Alazard, R. Pereira, N. Lemaître, Y. Martin, V. Rose, J. Seixas, M. Duran, R. Viandier. A. Desnoues, M. Bonnes.
No one doubts that the crowds will be large this Saturday at the Fobio to find the Pandas, and especially their two nationals who will each shine in their own colours.
