Recount call after Laporte sneaks in
The increasingly bitter war of words that passed for the 2020 FFR presidential election campaign ended shortly after 12.30pm yesterday, as Bernard Laporte secured a second four-year term with 51.47 percent of the vote.
At least it initially appeared that way. Within minutes of the result, Laporte’s opponent, the relatively unknown Florian Grill, hinted at the possibility of appealing against the result.
An announcement had been expected within five minutes of electronic polls closing at 12 noon, but the gap between the candidates was so small, with more than 95 per cent of France’s 1,900 clubs making their voices known, that it was delayed for nearly half-an-hour.
Officials insisted the result had been ‘easy’ to tabulate, and that they were unaware that waiting media were expecting a quick turnaround.
In the end, the numbers were confirmed in Laporte’s favour, with his list taking the majority of the 40 seats on the FFR’s new management committee.
Laporte’s acceptance speech rivalled the Gettysburg Address for brevity if not profundity. He dutifully promised to be “the president of all the clubs, of a unified game in France”.
He added: “To be elected on promises as we were in 2016 is one thing, to be re-elected on a balance sheet is quite another.
“The campaign has been tough, I will not deny it. Nothing has been spared. But the clubs were not fooled. Democracy, indisputable, has spoken.
“This second mandate will be that of unity. Unity around this formidable event that will be the 2023 World Cup. Unity around a reunited French XV. Unity around the number of our members, which for the first time in ten years is on the rise again and for which I have set an ambitious target of 100,000 more members in 2024.
Unity around all the clubs, whether amateur or professional, and which are weakened by the Covid crisis.”
His opponent said: “Today is a big disappointment. We had a great campaign and we stayed true to our principles until the end.”
Hinting at suspicions of underhanded politicking, he added: “I won’t hide from you being a little surprised at the result. We were told that we would take 80 per cent. We are very far from this score.
“We have to look precisely at what happened...I need time to think. But we will look at whether or not to do something. Appeal? It’s too early to talk about it but, given the proximity of the scores, the question could arise.”
The result, at least, means there is some certainty over the future of France head coach Fabien Galthie. His career is inextricably linked with that of Laporte, and he had questioned whether he could stay on if Grill won the vote.
Away from the corridors of power, French top-flight rugby, similar to the English Premiership, is currently struggling with coronavirus.
Two Top 14 matches scheduled for this week, La Rochelle v Racing 92 and Montpellier v Castres Olympique, have been postponed to an unspecified later date; while Lyon v Bordeaux will now be played on Monday night, following the Sunday evening encounter between Toulouse and Toulon at Ernest Wallon.
The situation at Racing, where nine members of the professional group tested positive this week, is particularly worrying, two weeks out from the Champions Cup final against Exeter. Players have been ordered to isolate ahead of a new batch of tests early next week, while the training ground has been shut down for five days for decontamination, and plans for a phased return to full training are in place.
It’s hardly ideal preparation for the next bloc of matches, which include Toulouse and Exeter.
And it leaves Racing with a scheduling nightmare. There’s barely any wriggle room in the fixture list as it is, and now – with the European finals forcing their Top 14 game against Toulon to a later date – they have to find time for two rescheduled games.
Of those games that have taken place, French referees have again demonstrated that the zero tolerance policy towards any tackle or incident involving the head is clearly co-ordinated.
Pierre Brousset sent off three players in the game between Brive and Pau at Stade Amedee-Domenech. Despite appearances, it was a relatively clean game. Brive’s Mitchell Lees was sent off for a moment of genuine stupidity, late in the first half, with the score at 16-13.
And when they went down to 13 players after teammate Setareki Bituniyata was sent off for a dangerous tackle on 54 minutes, the momentum appeared to be in Pau’s favour. But, then they lost scrum-half Clovis Le Bail, who was rather harshly sent off following a forearm charge.
His sarcastic applause as he walked off probably means the card will not be rescinded when he appears before the disciplinary committee.
Even so, Pau should have done better with the wide open spaces left by two absent defenders in the final 20 minutes. But Brive scored the only points of the second half, a penalty, to win 19-13. In fairness, the hosts deserved the points.
Stade Francais’ head coach Gonzalo Quesada faces tighthead selection issues in the coming weeks.
Luke Tagi was sent off in Friday night’s 26-19 loss to Bayonne at Stade Jean-Bouin for headbutting his opposite number as a scrum broke down late in the game.
With Paul Alo Emile serving a three-week ban for a red card in Stade’s delayed season opener, Quesada is down to the bare bones of his propping options.
Frustrated Clermont failed to pick up a try-scoring bonus point as they beat an eager but outclassed Agen 31-12 at Marcel Michelin.
The final 20 minutes were scoreless as Clermont huffed and puffed but blew chance after chance. It was desperate stuff, and further evidence that the problems of last season have not been resolved, despite changes in the coaching set-up.
“The result means there is some certainty over the future of Fabien Galthie”