All teams in their respective pools have faced each other once so far and have had a chance to size each other up. With the 7th round, we’ll see the return matches from the first round. Meanwhile, the review of the first six rounds shows the dominance of Montpellier, which has made a strong start to the season.
The Toulouse side continues to show its change in strength compared to last year and leads Pool A. Sénart and Rouen are not far behind. Rouen has been able to reassure itself, and we’ll see how. As for Sénart, they logically rolled over Nice.
Savigny has the upper hand against Sénart, which makes us think that the two spots in Pool B will be fiercely contested. However, since Savigny has only played 6 matches so far, it’s wise to be cautious with this kind of prediction. La Rochelle and Montigny had the worst day, losing their two matches against Toulouse and Rouen respectively. Finally, Metz, PUC, and Nice are struggling, and so far, Metz seems to be the team that could pull off a surprise to avoid relegation.
Stade Toulousain proved stronger than La Rochelle. That was the surprise of the first round of the championship, well confirmed by the sixth. La Rochelle’s defensive errors were no match for the Toulouse bats. The engagement of the Toulousains contrasted with that of the Rochelais, often disengaged. It’s the opposite scenario for the two teams compared to last year. Nolan Soliveres of Toulouse: « So far, I’m happy with the team, but we’ve done nothing yet. We need to go all the way and win the title for Stade Toulousain. »
Rouen started slowly against Montigny, struggling to make a difference, and Boris Marche began the first match seeing his demons haunt him again. That was until Bastien Dagneau unleashed his power in the eighth inning with a home run, securing the winning run. Rejuvenated, the Huskies then relied on their announced player changes. Two pitchers: Alastre, disappointing so far this season, and Leal (unexpected start) went home, and two new players arrived (Jarreau Martina, a Dutch catcher, and Canadian pitcher Alex McKinnon), allowing the pack’s spirit to be psychologically relaunched in the form of a mental reset.
The Templiers crushed the Niçois. Two mercy rules at 10-0 in the seventh inning. The Cavigals, with their young team, are struggling with pitching and depth. The bases are loaded, and the runs keep coming. Just hit with the bases loaded, and the runs pile up quickly. Yanis Monchit of the Cavigals shares his hopes: « We have a team that can challenge the top teams in our pool, like Sénart on opening day or Savigny, where we were ahead until the eighth inning. » Emile Brelle for Sénart: « I know my abilities and those of my teammates, I know we can succeed against the best teams. »
Finally, the Barracudas dominated the first match against the Metz team. The second match was more contested. Shane Priest still struggles to make an impact against the stronger teams.
The 7th round next weekend will bring other crucial information, especially in the Rouen vs. Toulouse clash. In the second round, Rouen did the job by dominating Stade Toulousain. The away trip was complicated for Toulouse, missing players, and the strikes of that time had created uncertainty. Now, Toulouse will host the pack on their home turf, and the top spot in the pool will be decided next Sunday. Note that their ace pitcher Rojas still cannot play due to suspensions. Montigny and Savigny should roll over Paris and Nice respectively.
The Cometz have a card to play by trying to take a match from Sénart to protect themselves. But the latter will be determined to stay connected to the top of Pool B alongside Montpellier and Savigny. Two teams are resting: La Rochelle and Montpellier.
