Rugby. National 2: US Tyrosse feels ready for its debut at La Fougère against Anglet

After the bonus defeat at Valence-d'Agen (35-33) which allowed the Tyrossais to analyze their strengths and weaknesses, they must win against the Angloys, this Sunday at 4 p.m., to start the home season in style.

US Tyrosse kicked off this new National 2 season with a bonus-point defeat at Valence-d'Agen (35-33). Adel Fellah and his staff had mixed feelings: "We're frustrated because we feel like the game is getting away from us," the manager admitted after his first match on the UST bench. "I'm still upset, I think our team can and must do better. A lot of people were happy, but we're not satisfied. Ultimately, we'll have the same games to play at home, against good teams. The game will have to turn out the right way, because the championship will be very tight. We'll have to be able to win these types of matches and, above all, not give the opponent the easiest chance."

Despite everything, the Tyrossens can be proud of their performance. Against a top team in the division, they proved from the very first match that they're up to the task and that they'll be a force to be reckoned with. Despite this setback, they showed promising attacking qualities. However, they mustn't miss out on opportunities to win away from home when they arise. Did the Semissens players get a little too carried away last Sunday? "I don't think we got carried away; we'd seen during the week with the leaders what we wanted to do. The end of the first half certainly raises questions, but the players had the final say, even if we gave them advice from the touchline."

"We didn't want to force points on this first penalty (at 11-19 for UST at that point) which could have made us go to 11-22," continues Adel Fellah. "The players took the lineout, which we lost on a bad transfer of the ball, and that led to a try situation for Valence-d'Agen some time later. But we've always operated like that, it remains the players' choice. If we put a try on the lineout, we take a break and no one said anything!"

This Sunday (4 p.m.) for the return to La Fougère, Anglet and Philippe Péry – the new Basque coach not retained by UST after the consecration in Fédérale 1 – come to recover the points lost at home against Langon (9-20), while the locals want to validate this first encouraging outing. For the manager, the group should change little by sticking to the principle of "the man in form", while having a bit of strategic adaptation. But overall, the group should be renewed after the interesting performance in Tarn-et-Garonne, to gain collective experience and continuity in the game.

"We're going to make some changes to all areas of the game, we're going to try to find precision and strengthen our DNA, which is to bring intensity to the game," explains Sébastien Calvet's former assistant at SUA. A victory would allow us to take a breath of fresh air in the standings and gain confidence. In addition, the "regional derby" aspect adds an extra emotional dimension to this confrontation...