What a thrilling championship! The suspense is building, especially in Pool A where three teams are now neck and neck. Yesterday’s champions have become today’s challengers, with Rouen in Pool A and Savigny in Pool B both sitting in mid-table—a far cry from last year’s standings.
Pool A
A clash of the titans between Montigny and Stade Toulousain. Both teams remain locked in a tight battle at the top. Toulouse has two games in hand but faces a tough schedule ahead with Rouen, PUC, and La Rochelle. Montigny has just four matches left against La Rochelle and PUC.
The President of Stade Toulousain, Yanael Delpech, shared his thoughts: « Since the challenge, we’ve been in a downward spiral, while Montigny has been on the rise. In our sport, confidence and momentum are everything. Last year, Rouen turned their season around midway through. After losing two challenge games and suffering a poor performance last Saturday, we were on a five-game losing streak. It was crucial to bounce back this Sunday. The guys stepped up, delivering a dominant performance with solid pitching and defense. »
We can now approach the next two home matchdays with confidence. Our goal is to sweep these four games to set ourselves up for the final away trip to Rouen. We know it won’t be easy. PUC is capable of pulling off upsets with their talented roster, and La Rochelle just took two from Rouen. But our team is determined, and the entire club is behind us as we push for qualification. Once that’s secured, we’ll shift focus to our next objective—winning the final game of the season…
As for the Cougars, represented by their manager Jose De Araujo:
« Naturally, we’re disappointed with the result. In the second game, we lacked intensity and made defensive errors that cost us. At this stage of the season, every mistake counts. We need to be more disciplined. This split complicates our season’s end, as we’ll need to take at least one game from La Rochelle to secure a playoff spot. Right now, aside from PUC, everything is still wide open in our group. Expect intense matchups where any slip-up could be fatal. We have the talent to go all the way, and I’m confident the team will rise to the occasion and secure a playoff berth. »
The other major showdown pitted La Rochelle against the Huskies of Rouen. The Boucaniers pulled off two victories against the 2022 French champions. The first game was gifted by Rouen due to a shallow bullpen (Prioul and Moulin are injured). The second was a nail-biter, with the Boucaniers staging a dramatic ninth-inning comeback, securing victory thanks to their bats and two nearly inexplicable errors by the Huskies.
Boris Marche, their leader, commented: « Clearly, we’re paying for our failed offseason recruitment. The losses have piled up, shaking our confidence. Key players are making rookie mistakes. We need to take a step back and address the psychological reasons behind these struggles. We have four matches left that we absolutely cannot afford to lose if we hope to qualify for the playoffs. »
Pascal Regnier, President of the Boucaniers: « Over our five years in Division 1, we’ve learned that we can beat any team. However, to maintain consistent progress and avoid a rollercoaster season, we need more budget and better recruitment. We have confidence in our young players—we just won the regional title in 15U, and we have juniors in D1 and D2. That doesn’t guarantee success, as managing juniors is complex. To secure a playoff spot, we need to win at least one game against Montigny and one against Toulouse. »
Pool B
As expected, Montpellier dominated Nice and secured their spot at the top of the pool.
Owen Ozanich shared:
« The team has been playing well since the challenge (7-1 record). We know the playoffs are coming, and we’re working hard to be the team that wins the final game of the season in 2023. »
As for Sénart against Savigny, the upset was significant as Sénart swept both games at home. The Templiers have taken a major step toward the playoffs, trailing only the Barracudas. However, the next three matchdays could still mathematically allow for a comeback. Savigny would need to sweep Sénart in the return leg during the 14th round.
Mario Brelle for Sénart stated: With our three injuries, Matthieu has perfectly managed the absences over the two games of this 12th round of the championship.
Our two victories yesterday against Savigny-sur-Orge have put us in a favorable position for playoff access. We have four matches left, two against Montpellier and two more against Savigny-sur-Orge.
Since we don’t play during the 15th and final round,
if we want to depend only on our results, we must split the next two matchdays, and that will secure our playoff berth for 2023.
