Rugby - Big test this Saturday for the Barracudas

Saint-Barth's XV rugby team, the Barracudas, play host to league leaders Bruc des Abymes this Saturday (7pm) at the Stade de Saint Jean, on the 7th day of the Guadeloupe senior championship.
The play-offs are just around the corner (May 17) and we can already predict that, as usual, the Barracudas will be part of it... but the question is, in which position? This Saturday's match against Bruc des Abymes should give us a clearer idea of what awaits the "Barras" between now and the semi-finals, or even the final. Beaten 27-3 in the first leg, the second leg could well be a case of revenge for the "ciels et blancs", who lost their way on Abymian soil when the stadium lights went out and a player was roughed up. Since then, Les Barracudas have bounced back with two wins in a row, in the Northern Isles derby against Archiball de Saint-Martin and, more recently, against RC Goyave. We can therefore expect a big clash in prospect, with plenty of commitment on both sides, for the two teams who occupy the top two places in the league. From an accounting point of view, a bonus win would be the best scenario for the Saint-Barth players. Although nothing is guaranteed, they are working towards it, as forwards coach Gauthier Periguet points out: "We've been training for a month now with a view to receiving the No. 1 team in the league. We've put the first leg behind us, and now we're ready to start again. Now we're second in the league, it's not the same. We've decided to focus our attention on this game, the day after our victory over Goyave, because we're determined to remain unbeaten at home. We'll have to wait and see how Bruc get around... in any case, we want to rival them on Saturday evening. "The Brucistes have been warned: 15 days ago, they won their 1st title of the season, the rugby 7s championship, in which the clubs from the northern islands unfortunately did not participate. Their coach, Dominique Graniou, outlines the current strengths and weaknesses of his squad ahead of this Saturday's match: "It's a tough trip, as the Barracudas will be out to revenge the first leg in front of their home crowd. What's more, we have a number of injuries, suspensions and absentees. Whatever the case, however, the squad that will take to the pitch on Saturday will be up to the challenge posed by the Saint Barths. We want to build on our winning momentum, so we hope to come away from Saint-Jean with something to show for it.... "We can therefore expect some great rugby in what could well be an early final, kicking off at 7pm on Saturday at the St Jean stadium.