We can finally see more clearly in National! And what we observe responds to the promises made last spring, at the time of the rebirth of this third division of French rugby, semi-professional. Yes the pool is dense, yes favorites stand out and yes, the fight for accession to Pro D2 will be fierce and indecisive until the end.
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“Nice is almost entrenched”
To take a good look at the standings after 10 days played, two teams stand out: Nice (1st, 34 points) and Bourg-en-Bresse (2nd, 32 points). For Hugo Bové, sports journalist at The Independent and specialist in RC Narbonne, no need to look any further for the future promoted in professional rugby: “These are the two who will go up. Bourg has all the cards in hand, sportingly and structurally, and Nice has a very favorable calendar. “
Above all, the Azureans show impressive collective strength. Loïc Colombié, journalist for The Mag Sport and specialist in SC Albi, agrees: “Nice is almost entrenched. They only received three more times! They have a British ranking of 20. Unless there is a cataclysm … “
Behind these two strong, the two remaining places for the accession semi-finals should be disputed between Narbonne (3e , 30 points), Albi (5e , 25 points), Bourgoin-Jallieu (7e , 22 points) and, to a lesser extent, Suresnes (4e , 25 points) and Dax (6e , 23 points). “Massy (9e , 20 points) can come from the devil Vauvert, but I do not believe in it, ”adds Colombié. “From what I saw from Suresnes against Narbonne,” said Bové, “I’m not sure they are going the distance. “
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The economic aspect still questions
Unlike this championship which proves that it has every reason to exist, between Pro D2 and Federal 1. “From what I see, on collisions, physical density, the game, it is very close to the second division, rejoices Loïc Colombié. And in the process, it’s more structured, more serious than in Federal 1. “
The only downside: the ability of clubs to respond favorably to the administrative and above all financial specifications of the professional world, especially in a context of economic crisis. It is for lack of solidity at this level that the Federal 1 Elite, which lived from 2016 to 2018, was abandoned.
“If the state helps them, the clubs will be able to get by,” said the Albigensian journalist. Afterwards, some manage to generate money by broadcasting their matches on social networks, others not. It depends on the strategies. But the economic aspect remains the big question mark, yes. “
>> Find the National ranking by clicking here.
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