Galvanized by his third victory in a row acquired on Saturday at the Rabine against Montpellier, the RC Vannes does not intend to stop in its maintenance objective. Nevertheless, the promoted knows that going to look for something in Toulouse is a feat.
The Ernest-Walloon stadium from Stade Toulousain is a good memory for RC Vannes. It was here, on June 8, that the Morbihan club went to seek its promotion in Top 14 to the detriment of Grenoble (16-9). Chance of the calendar, the reigning French champion was the first opponent of the Bretons in the La Rabine lair, in this 2024-2025 already historic season. In the end, the RCV had largely lost against Toulouse (18-43) but this reverse had the merit of launching the band to Jean-Noël Spitzer. Several months later, the two teams find themselves, this time in Occitania, for the return match. The champion and the promoted have taken their way, upwards for the first and the bottom for the second.
But RC Vannes finally seems to be on the right path with three consecutive victories in its bag (Stade Français, Racing 92 and Montpellier), enough to keep its dream of maintaining at hand. “” Being the first team of Vannes to play in Top 14, to be champion of France of Pro D2 is huge as we know and it is clear that after having spent a season like that, we are even more linked by everything we have been able to live outside the field, explains Paul Surano, the back of the blue and white, in Rugbyrama. It was really a great year. We have celebrated this very well and I think we will remember our whole life and I think that is what also makes the locker room live as well, it is that we have known a lot of moments of joy so even when the moments are a little harder, we still keep the tight ranks, we pay attention to each other and that is super important. »»
A match without pressure against the champion
This Saturday at 4.30 p.m., Stade Toulousain will not be easy to maneuver. Especially since he has just stuck, without his stars players, a 41-6 at Bayonnais Aviron, fourth in the Top 14 ranking. The prospect of a correction in Ernest-Wallon does not scare Paul Surano. “The state of mind is pretty good, when you have just won three games in a row, it’s easier to prepare a trip especially like in Toulouse. I think the staff repeated it to us, we are not under pressure today. We are keen to make the best match possible. But we know the quality of the opponent. (…) The goal for us will be as serious as possible. We are not going to Toulouse to take 70 points necessarily, so the goal is going to be 100 % concentrated on what we can control. The RCV will move to Occitania without Mako Vunipola (Cervical), Alex Arrate (suspicion of fracture of the malleolus) and Francis Siili (Commotion). After the meeting against the reigning French champion, the Bretons will go on an internship in Spain to recharge the batteries.
