The time when France was crowned almost before the start of an international competition is indeed over. The last world championships, which took place at home, in Dijon, with the support of a fervent audience came abruptly to a tricolor team perhaps a little too sure of its strength in the face of nations which, in the shadows, worked a lot to get to the level. She also counted a little too long on her fantastic four Philippe Quintais, Philippe Suchaud, Henri Lacroix and Dylan Rocher to seriously prepare her succession …
The recent final of the Mondial La Marseillaise in Pétanque, which has seen a foreign team for the first time, in this case Madagascar, register its name in the charts, is somehow the recall sting that nothing is guaranteed for the Blues in the concert of nations.
The Camouflet of Veterans
What then to say of the Camouflet experienced by the French veterans team this Tuesday, in Santa Susanna? Despite the contribution of a Philippe Suchaud just withdrawn from the senior selection and always in good shape as evidenced by his recent course on the World Cup La Marseillaise In Pétanque where he reached the final, the Blues did not go further than the quarter-finals, stopped clearly (13-4) by a Swiss selection driven by Didier Choupay, five-time world champion with … France!
A defeat that is all the more disorder that the Blues remained on two European titles among the veterans and that when the coach of the Blues had unveiled his list for Santa Susanna, with Gérard Delom, Christian Fazzino, Michel Loy and Philippe Suchaud a lot predicted another destiny to this training.
Managers in difficulty
Is this little glorious outing to store in the ray of high-level sport vagaries or is the evil deeper?
Without doubt a bit of both and what challenges the most is that whatever the category, the French team is no longer as sovereign as before and struggles to shine in major international meetings. It is therefore high time for the Blues who have become pale to find colors and their standing.
With a team entirely renewed compared to the latest world championships (Ludovic Montoro, David “Ligan” Doerr, Yohan Cousin and Mickaël Bonetto succeeded Henri Lacroix, Philippe Suchaud, Jean “Moineau” Feltain and Dylan Rocher), Jean-Claude Boiron made the bet of the electrochoc to restore the French team, Until Sunday in the competition. In this context, the Istrean Mickaël Bonetto has a nice card to play since it will be aligned on the triplet test and the precision shot. An opportunity all the stronger than Dylan Rocher, with whom he was teaming up on the World Cup La Marseillaise In Pétanque, has a season away from its standards. What is certain is that a success (and even two counting precision shot) would put a little order in the blue house. A poor performance would plunge the French team a little more into the slump …
