Records then the Rain
J9: Valence Romans Drôme Rugby @ Vannes
They say that if you don’t like the weather in Brittany, just wait five minutes and it will change.
Which was true enough the morning of the Vannes-Valence Romans game. In the early hours the rain fell in a fine mist, near lunchtime it was sunny and twenty degrees, and by kick-off it had settled into a balmy clear evening with a slight breeze.
Perfect rugby weather for what should have been a competitive match.
Because based on current positions both teams will be in the playoffs next year. But, both are coming off of important season-defining wins, so there were some tactical rests planned on both sides. Still, Jean-Noël Spitzer had to make sure that everyone was ready. “Every block of matches is always difficult. When you play a team considered weaker, you can’t afford to slip up, especially at home.”
Especially at Stade de la Rabine. This is the 31st consecutive sell-out, and they are so far undefeated at home. Wins are expected here. The fans are rightfully proud of this streak, and you get the impression that even if Vannes weren’t top of the table these games would still sell out. Out of a combination of pride, stubbornness, and Breton exceptionalism.1
Tonight is my first experience in the stadium and it’s remarkable how rabide the fans in Rabine are. They sing and chant throughout the warm-up under the unfurled Tifo. Shout out the last name of every player, the in-stadium announcer pausing after each Christian name. A call and response that also occurs with each referee decision, break in play, or successful scrum.
But, when prompted by the shush which echoes around the stadium (but somehow feels directly targeted to you) they drop into near silence to give the kicker time to concentrate. A juxtaposition that shows how seriously they take the sport.
And there were many opportunities for this call and response this evening. So many points were scored by Vannes it was just a sea of blue and cheers and the first and last name ritual on repeat.
In truth, there wasn’t really much resistance from VRDR. It was a miserable night for the smattering of fans who made the trip from the south. I’d seen them during the day in the square, decked out in black and white check flags. A pattern that, for a second, looked like the Gwenn ha du.
Most of Vannes’ ten (ten!) tries were scored in a similar way. A big push from an accurate set piece, easy hands into the backs and a finish on either an overlap or a pick and go. Replay that five times in your head and you’ve got the gist.
Which isn’t to diminish the results, much like you wouldn’t bad mouth a doctor just because the operation they’re doing is routine. It’s still an incredible feat. That there were so many easy phases just speaks to the precision and proficiency of a side hitting purple patch.
But there were some spectacular tries, too. A long glide in from Elliott Roudil, who ran too good a line against too blasé a defense. And Ben Stevenson, bored of finding an overlap every time, decided to pitched a kick up instead, which gravity brought down perfectly for Anthony Bouthier in the end zone.
But the star score of the night was started by Thibault Debaes. The understudy made the most of his starring role. Fielding a kick on the halfway, he immediately pointed to the try line like Babe Ruth before a pitch. After an initial break him and Stevenson engaged in a mic-check over the next 40 metres. 1-2, 1-2, 1-2 behind the backs of the VR players, with the last pass slipped out the side for the Englishman to score.
Debaes is only 23, so this game was comfortably the highlight of his career so far. As well as running the show, and making most of his kicks despite the acute angles caused by the easy overlaps, he even got to run the final one in himself. Just outside the 22 he took the pass flat at the line and punched his way through two defenders, finishing it up with a burst of speed under the posts. He waved his arms in celebration and lay on his back up at the stars. A well deserved rest after a night that eventually saw him named as the ProD2 player of the week.
At the exact moment of the whistle the rain started to fall in heavy drops. Almost like God himself was waiting to see how many points Vannes could score. Looking up through the deluge they saw they’d managed to run in 10 tries and 64 points, the former tying a record, the latter breaking one.
You wouldn’t think at any point this was a match between two teams bound for the post-season. If this was played in May, which, it may well be, Vannes would be cruising their way to either a final or Top 14 place.
RCV were already the favourites going into the season, a few wobbles made it seem like there was competition, but so far everyone else seems to have been pretenders to the crown. Heading into Week 10, it’s clear that this title is Vannes to lose. Let’s hope that like the weather in Brittany, that doesn’t change anytime soon.
The next home game is being held at Roazhon Park, Stade Rennais FC ’ 30,000 capacity stadium in Rennes, and 15,000 tickets sold out in less than 30 minutes.