Français
Taking part in the first day of the 7-a-side rugby championship, which took place on the Archigirls pitch in Saint-Martin last Saturday, Les Rascasses, Saint-Barth's women's rugby team, came away from the Bellevue stadium with second place overall, confirming their momentum at the end of last season.The Rascasses, Saint-Barth's women's rugby team, came away from the Bellevue stadium with second place in the overall standings, confirming the momentum they built up at the end of last season.
With wins of 12-5 over the Archigirls of Saint-Martin and 17-5 over Bruc des Abymes, the Rascasses' participation in the first day of the Seven championship was a success. The only fly in the ointment was a loss to defending champions Good Luck de Gosier, who outscored their opponents by more than 20 points. "2 wins in 3 games and second place on this first day is a very positive result, especially as our team isn't necessarily cut out for 7-a-side rugby. Even though we have three quarters with good passing skills and speed, our forwards aren't necessarily at ease in this format, and I take my hat off to them because they gave 100% and showed tremendous character. I'd like to single out the general state of mind, as more than once the players made up for situations that seemed lost," sums up Saint-Barth coach Fabien Maurel. And he's not mistaken: his flock put in a remarkable performance, all the more so as, on this first day of the championship, the level of play was of a high standard, as the blue-and-white technician points out: "We were able to produce some good moves with some fine tries to boot. The level of play from all the teams was quite astonishing for the start of the season, and that pushed everyone to raise the bar. We were also able to see our limits in certain areas and identify our future areas of work. I hope that having played at this level will whet the girls' appetites for what's to come. "Having got off to such a good start, what can we expect from the Rascasses for the 2025-2026 season? Coach Fabien Maurel gives us a few hints: "Even if our season is calibrated to compete in the 10-a-side rugby championship with the Archigirls of Saint Martin via the Entente des Iles du Nord, of course the players would all like to be able to wear the club colors again on other days at 7.... in Rascasses mode [laughs]! "So club, partners, committees and institutions are warned: a little help in the budget for the women's rugby category could enable Les Rascasses to continue to 7-a-side rugby, until next February and the start of the 15-a-side championship, via the Entente des Iles du Nord.
Players' words
Elise Howard:
"After more than a year's absence from the field due to injury, I put my boots back on with no fear of playing again, thanks to a close-knit team. We all trusted each other, and that's invaluable during a match! It must be said that it was the first time for some of us, and we gave it our all. It just goes to show that, even if we don't really know each other on the pitch yet, the basis of a solid team is cohesion.
I'm really proud of our first tournament and to see that our level of play will only improve for the championship at X! In the meantime, for our first 3 games, I've scored 3 tries, so that's it, my season counter is up and running [laughs]."
Maëva Bourmeau:
"How did I feel about this day of 7-a-side rugby? Gripping and enriching, both on a sporting and human level. I was looking forward to playing matches against teams from outside France. Like us, these teams put in a lot of commitment and energy. As a newcomer to the squad, it made me even more determined to continue playing rugby and to perform better with the advice of the coaches and the team's veterans, the senior players. "
