Women's Rugby - Defeated but undeterred…

Playing on the road against Good Luck in Gosier last Saturday, Entente des Îles du Nord lost to the defending champions, 46–17. The women’s rugby team has one game left to secure a spot in the final.
More focused and organized than in their last away game, Entente des Iles du Nord—Rascasses–Archigirls—regained the fighting spirit that had characterized the progress seen since last season. This push to surpass themselves is necessary for a potential qualification to the regional championship final, which will be played on June 6 against the Good Luck women’s team, already certain to defend their title. Yet on Saturday evening, the Gosiériennes—reigning champions for over a decade—started the match by quickly taking a 19–0 lead over the visitors. But Entente, never giving up, dug in and eventually “camped out” in Good Luck’s half until the end of the first half, using running plays, though ultimately failing to score. It was only a matter of time. After returning from the locker room, Elise Howard opened the scoring for her team with a try initiated by a flanking run (24–7). Good Luck, spurred on by their home crowd, responded on the very next play (31–7). This was followed by another period of sustained possession, a specialty of the Northern Islands. A tactical choice that was ultimately rewarded with another try by Howard, this time following a series of plays (36-12). The “Northerners’” consistency paid off a third time through Noémie Delpech-Millet, who grounded the ball in Le Gosier’s try zone (41-17). At the final whistle, it was the feeling of having seen the team, once again, make a collective effort that stood out for Léa De Rancourt, for whom this was her last match under the Northern Islands banner.
Just one point separates Entente IDN from Bruc, currently second in the standings. Qualification will therefore depend on a strong, high-scoring performance on the field in Bellevue, Saint Martin, where the match is scheduled for May 23. “We want to finish the season undefeated, and we’re going to try to improve on what didn’t go well in the first leg,” insists Alix Loiseau of Good Luck. So, both the Rascasses and the Archigirls have been warned. To achieve this desired result, they’ll have to go out and earn it.