Four teams from fifth to eighth place will face off. Third-place Rouen from Pool A takes on fourth-place Metz from Pool B, while third-place Savigny from Pool B faces fourth-place La Rochelle from Pool A.
This is a best-of-five series. The first team to secure three wins advances. The first two games will be played on the home fields of the fourth-place teams: Metz and La Rochelle. The third game, and any additional games if necessary, will be held at the home fields of the third-place teams (Rouen and Savigny) during the weekend of September 2nd/3rd.
Firstly, it’s worth noting the surprise of seeing last year’s finalists in the play-downs. If they win their first series, the Lions and Huskies will battle for fifth place. Neither of these teams expected this outcome this season, and it’s been a long time since they’ve faced such disappointment. It’s less surprising to see La Rochelle and Metz at this stage of the competition, even though La Rochelle managed to reach the playoffs last year.
None of these teams faced each other during the regular season, as they were in different pools. The only reference point is the France Challenge, where Metz narrowly lost to Rouen 4-3. While we might not have seen all the surprises of the 2023 season yet, it’s reasonable to think that Rouen and Savigny should come out on top in these confrontations. For the first weekend’s predictions, the editorial team is leaning towards:
- A split between Rouen and Metz
- A split between Savigny and La Rochelle.
Indeed, the Cometz still lack the resources to eliminate a somewhat weakened Huskies team, but they have the means to win a game, especially at home, with their aces Shane Priest and Kenjiro Suguira. Five young Huskies will return from the European Championship, fired up by their bronze medal. This happy and positive collective can re-oil and restart the Huskies machine.
On the other side, the Rochelais are bringing the fight as the season could turn into a make-or-break moment for both Division 1 and Division 2, which are also in play-downs. The Buccaneers will do everything in their power to give the Savigny Lions a tough time. They have the weapons for this battle, especially with their pitchers (Lopez, Nieves, Amorrosso, Antoine, De la Rosa). But on the other side, there’s the league’s top hitter: Ivan Acuna, and sometimes one man can make a notable difference in a collective effort.
