For its first move to Roazhon Park, Vannes did not tremble. In an exceptional atmosphere, RCV beat Grenoble 28-18 and took sole lead of Pro D2.
In front of nearly 30,000 spectators at Roazhon Park in Rennes, Vannes did not miss its meeting on Sunday evening for its first relocation by winning against Grenoble 28-18 at the end of the 11th day of Pro D2. Thanks to this success, broadcast in “Prime Time”, Vannes occupies first place in the ranking with 39 points while Grenoble, unfortunate finalist of the last three seasons, remains in an uncomfortable and disappointing 9th position.
The RCV, which defends the Breton identity, had seen the big picture with a spectacular pre-match show: Breton anthem taken up loudly by the entire stadium, giant “gwenn ha du” deployed, fireworks and bagpipes as the players entered.
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The first half was engaged, but also messy, with numerous mistakes from both teams. But the RCV, thanks to the power of its forward pack and its international-class first line (Vunipola, Cherry, Medrano) made the Isérois suffer. The Bretons managed to score two strong tries, punctuated by a roar from the stadium and were thus able to return to the locker room with a comfortable lead (20-6).
blow for blow
The start of the second half was marked by a long timeout with Edwards injured. If the Grenoblois were emboldened in the game, their conquest (melee and touch) proved too deficient. The two teams went head to head and in the end, RCV logically won 28-18.
At the final whistle, the 29,842 spectators, according to the official figure, could exult and wave the Breton flags. According to figures sent to AFP by the National Rugby League, the largest attendance in Pro D2 in the regular phase was for the Lyon match against Oyonnax in April 2011 with 37,816 spectators at the Gerland stadium, followed by a meeting at the same place in 2010 between Lyon and Grenoble (30,803 spectators). Sunday evening’s match thus completes the podium in the regular phase.
Roazhon Park, the usual den of Stade Rennes footballers, has already seen rugby posts on its lawn, with the Top 14 semi-finals in 2016 and in particular a Racing Clermont that remains in the memories (34-33).
