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Rugby: in Île-de-France, the Stade Français-Racing 92 derby can hide many others

Who said that Île-de-France was not a land of rugby? This Sunday at 9:05 p.m., the two flagship clubs in the region, Stade Français and Racing 92, face off in a top-of-the-table clash of the Top 14 which smells of sulfur, in Paris at the Jean-Bouin stadium. The epilogue among the pros of another weekend of rugby on the Ile-de-France lawns, that of the amateur clubs.

In Federal 1, 2 or 3, the derbies often come back. With more or less exacerbated rivalries, which do not escape the somewhat hackneyed clichés: little Thumb against big team, popular city against wealthy city, rich club against training club… From Paris to Seine-Saint-Denis, Hauts- from the Seine to the Essonne, among amateurs also the territorial oppositions are not lacking in flavor.

The duel at La Cipale promises to “not send badly”

PUC-Drancy (Federal 1, Saturday at 7:30 p.m.). “If you want to see teams having fun before, during and after the match, come to La Cipale! », launches Jérôme Bousquet, the president of the PUC. Twenty-four hours before the start of Stade Français-Racing at Jean-Bouin, Paris is indeed hosting another derby, in Federal 1, the highest amateur level. In the historic and rural setting of La Cipale, in the Bois de Vincennes, the Paris University Club hosts RC Drancy. “These derbies are not unpleasant, it gives rather nice matches”, smiles Jérôme Bousquet.

The PUC like Drancy are experienced in regional opposition, since they are in a pool with three other Ile-de-France residents (St Denis, teal and Gennevilliers). “The biggest rivalry, it is departmental, with Saint-Denis”, explains Hugo Aznar, the captain of Drancy. The two Seine-Saint-Denis clubs are in the fight for the classification and are only 7 km apart.

But the match of the Drancens at the PUC, with a lesser sporting stake, will also be worth the detour. “It’s going to play, it’s going to send a lot, assures Sylvain Trassebot, former player and one of the managers of Drancy, forty years at the club. It will be war on the pitch, but afterwards, it’s all friends. In the clubs of the region, they all know each other, they are often teachers, or have passed through the training center of Racing or Stade Français”.

To a lesser extent, PUC-Drancy is therefore also a mini Stade Français-Racing. “La Violette” is a partner of the Parisian club, and received advice at the start of the season from Antoine Burban, historic third line of the Stade Français trained at the PUC. Opposite, captain Hugo Aznar is a product of the Racing training center, which had an agreement with the Drance club for a few years. A real taste of Sunday’s derby!

An Essonian derby, “far from the quarrels of steeples”

Ris-Orangis – Orsay (Federal 2, Sunday at 3 p.m.). “It’s an Essonne derby, it’s special, sums up Éric Husson, president of Ris-Orangis. We are the club a little more popular, a little out of the way, and Orsay that of a more affluent economic basin, closer to Massy from whom they recover players. We are famous for training. And for the first time in a long time, we are better ranked than them. Yes, it will be a bit hot in the stands, and also among the players who are putting a lot of pressure on themselves for this match”.

The decor for this Essonne derby is set. But Éric Husson assures him: “We are far from the quarrels of the steeples of the South-West! Besides, I get along very well with Paul Tremsal, the president of Orsay. “The interested party confirms, fair play: “It will be more of a derby of conviviality. I pay tribute to the very good season of Ris-Orangis, they are better than us for the moment, it must be recognized. But I give them an appointment on Sunday to prove that the Orcians have the answer! »

The Latruberce stadium in Ris-Orangis is expecting 800 to 1,000 people for this derby, according to the club president. “If rugby fans don’t want to be bored on Sunday, Ris is the place to come, and nowhere else! “says Éric Husson.

In Boulogne-Billancourt, a shock to “finish well against the neighbor”

ACBB – Antony Métro 92 (Federal 2, Sunday at 3 p.m.). Unlike its neighbours, the big sports club of Boulogne-Billancourt ends its season with difficulty in Fédérale 2. Just like another big name in rugby in the Ile-de-France, Domont, who withdrew this season and will not honor another potential derby on Sunday, against Versailles, in this same pool of Federal 2. But the ACBB, already relegated to Federal 3, will sell its skin dearly against neighbor Antony Metro 92.

“We are used to playing against several clubs in the region, the players know each other well, explains Jean-Baptiste Alnot, the president of ACBB rugby. It’s always special these derbies, we always want to win or at least behave well against our neighbors. Even if in recent years, the ACBB derby was more against Courbevoie (the other Hauts-de-Seine team is 2nd in this Federal 2 pool). We will try to show the best face possible against Antony who is a team within our reach. »

“The rivalry in the derbies depends more or less on the history of the last confrontations, summarizes Xavier Carvallo, leader of the first team of Antony Métro 92. There for this match against the ACBB, in the classification we are quite calm (the club, 10th, has nothing more to fear or hope for). But we want to finish well against the neighbor. A bit like between Stade Français and Racing 92, local supremacy is at stake.

The Hauts-de-Seine pro club is also the former partner of Antony, when Racing was also called Métro. Today, a partnership still unites Ciel et Blanc in Antony. Hopes of Racing can thus come to harden in the matches of Fédérale 2. “But in the team, there are pro-Racing and pro-Stade Français, explains Xavier Carvallo. It’s like tastes and colors, there’s no debating, there are the Roses and the Blues”. This weekend on the rugby pitches, everyone can have fun choosing their side.

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