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Reigning runners-up for the first time in their history, the Entente féminine de rugby des îles du Nord will be able to count on a larger-than-ever number of players from Saint Barthélemy this season.
Building on the success of the previous season, the women's rugby team from Saint-Barth, Les Rascasses, have seen their squad grow since September, with around twenty players taking part in every training session. Good news for coach Fabien Maurel, who validates the sporting project set up by president Denis Ragot in favor of the women's section: "We're a little surprised by this enthusiasm, but it's all to the good! We were much more present on social networks last year, and word of mouth worked too... with good results, we've seen more and more people attend our matches, all of which has contributed to the rise in our membership numbers since the start of the new school year. We've seen the arrival of beginners and more seasoned players too," explains Fabien Maurel, coach of the Barracudas' women's section. With a larger number of players, there are more exercises and oppositions during training sessions, enabling the team to progress more quickly. "Even if we're not immune, during the high tourist season, to seeing a few players miss a few meetings and matches, for professional reasons, in the meantime, we work hard in training and the girls are delighted! "says Fabien Maurel. To adapt to the greater number of rugbywomen present on the Saint-Jean pitch on Wednesday and Friday evenings, Thomas Boisseau, who used to play senior football for the Barracudas, has joined the coaching team. "We try to offer the players as many exercises and fun rugby as possible to keep them coming back, and it works!
Marion Pol is one of this year's new players: "I was lucky enough to bump into Alice, who invited me to come and try rugby, which I didn't know at all. We got straight into the swing of things thanks to our great coaches, who promised we'd work up a sweat, but in good spirits. The sessions are intense but the pace rises to a crescendo, giving you time to integrate each exercise. It's within everyone's grasp, but the main aim is to enjoy playing as a group. Training session after training session, the guidelines are clear: we're a team, we work together to make this an incredible season! "Encouraged by this enthusiasm, the team organized a weekend team-building camp to consolidate the group and enable the "Rascasses" to get to know each other better.
Entente des îles du Nord
This weekend, the Rascasses travel to their neighbors, the Archigirls, for a real integration weekend on the Marigot pitch. The reunited Entente des îles du Nord will take advantage of the arrival of the Guadeloupe League's new club technical advisors, Audrey Galthié and Olivier Prat, to set up a gathering and the supervised training sessions that go with it. "The aim is to spend as much time together as possible over 2 full days, to cultivate group life, especially as the women's squad in Saint Martin has also been strengthened," explains Fabien Maurel. The automatisms and habits of playing and living together will be essential if we are to do at least as well as last year.
Souélène Delafosse, one of Les Rascasses' managers, gives us her impressions: "Last season, we had our ups and downs, but above all it was a real team adventure. We fought hard, and frankly, we can be proud of ourselves. This year, the group has changed, with a lot of new recruits, who haveÒ energy to spare and motivation to spare. It's great to see! This season we've got our sights set on doing better, going further and enjoying every match. We can't wait to get going again. New season, new start, same desire. "
With objectives that L'Entente des îles du Nord hopes to achieve, as Fabien Maurel explains: "Teams change in the off-season, so we don't really know the level of the others, but we're ambitious. It's normal, we acquired a new status by playing in the finals last year. The players, the staff and the public in the Northern Isles want to experience that again... Our priority is to do well in the league, and our budget is set for that. But frankly, we'd like to play all the competitions, like the 7-a-side cup or the tournaments in Martinique... that will depend on the budget... and we're always looking for extra budget [laughs]."
In the meantime, this studious start to the season will be the driving force behind this weekend in Saint Martin. A first gathering that will be an important moment in the season for L'Entente des îles du Nord, to recreate the bond that led Rascasses & Archigirls to lose only two matches all of last season.
