The
fickle nature of sport is showing its hand at Bourgoin again
this week as the club’s roller-coaster season took a
distinct downward turn after its recent on-field highs.
It’s
been a funny old season for Club Sportif Bourgoin-Jallieu
Rugby – to give it its splendid full name – but the smiles
that ensued after reaching the European Challenge Cup
semi-finals (against the odds) have now turned to worried
frowns with news that a mounting financial crisis is
unfolding.
Back at
the tail end of March Bourgoin were involved in a battle
royale for Top 14 survival after three successive defeats
left them just two points off the drop zone and nursing the
bruises from a 57-23 battering away to Clermont Auvergne.
But
fresh hope emerged after their next game – a 22-3 home win
over Montpellier – and full-blown optimism shone out when
they followed up with a
43-6 trouncing of relegation rivals
Dax.
Those
two results combined to leave Bourgoin handily placed in 11th
position and seemingly assured of their Top 14 survival
having opened up a 10-point gap over 13th-placed
Dax.
This
new-found belief was then confirmed when they travelled as
mighty underdogs to take on London Irish in the ECC
quarter-finals, but staggeringly
emerged with a 32-30 victory
that put them just two matches away from possible Heineken
Cup qualification.
Suddenly, a season played out to the backdrop of possible
relegation to ProD2 was threatening to blossom into
unforeseen riches.
Next up
was a trip to Bayonne – never an easy game – but Bourgoin’s
relaxed state appeared justified given the teams below them
were all likely to lose, posing the possibility to near
guaranteed Top 14 status should results go their way. After
all, 12th-placed Toulon were taking on mighty
Stade Toulousain, 13th-placed Dax had lost their
previous 10 matches, and basement club Mont-de-Marsan had
seemingly already run up the white flag.
Fate,
though, had a very different agenda in mind and
a crazy weekend of league action
saw all three sides pull off against-the-odds victories that
few could have predicted. To add to their woes, Bourgoin
were walloped 61-10 at the Stade Jean Dauger as they fell to
the biggest defeat in Top 14 this season.
Now,
suddenly, they are just six points ahead of Dax with three
games to go and face a daunting away trip to Stade
Toulousain this coming weekend. Rejuvenated Dax, meanwhile,
entertain the only team below them (Mont-de-Marsan) knowing
that a win could lift them back to within a single point of
Bourgoin with two rounds to go.
Top 14 Table
/ Top 14 Fixtures
The
famine-feast-famine nature of the latter’s recent form makes
great copy, but won’t be doing the board or supporters any
good as they flirt once more with the spectre of relegation.
And as
if that wasn’t enough, they now face the prospect of falling
foul of the powerful DNACG – the league’s austere financial
watchdog which has the power (and inclination) to relegate
teams. Indeed, Dax owe their presence in Top 14 this season
to the DNACG’s decision to demote SCA Albi on financial
grounds last year, thus sparing the team which had finished
in 13th position.
Now it is Bourgoin's turn to sweat following
confirmation that there is currently a €2m hole in their
budget for this season, and that they need to find the
balance quick sharp to avoid the wrath of the DNACG.
New club
president
René
Flamand, who took over recently from Pierre Martinet,
acknowledged they have until April 30 to come up with
answers before their scheduled meeting with the DNACG.
Coach
Eric Catinot unsurprisingly admitted that “the group is
concerned about the turn of events”, and conceded that
several players were eyeing up summer moves to new clubs –
following the leads of Morgan Parra (destined
for Clermont Auvergne) and Yann David (Toulouse
bound).
And just to further
blacken the mood the ERC has also confirmed that should
Bourgoin win the ECC but also get relegated then they will
not be eligible to partake in next season’s Heineken Cup.
