From 2015 to 2019, Metz reigned over French women's handball. And then last season, Brest overthrew the Lorraine club to win the first title in its history, after having been runner-up to Messines twice in 2017 and 2018. It has therefore been six years since the two strongholds share the two main ones. domestic titles. Since the coronation of Fleury-les-Aubrais in 2015, neither the championship, nor the Coupe de France, have escaped the tandem. Last season was marked with the seal of the “
Rebelles
”, the nickname of the Brestoises. With its core of Olympic champions (Darleux, Foppa, Coatanea, Lassource, Niakaté), the Finistère team achieved the double, not without having climbed in parallel to the final of the Champions League. A first for a French club.
Each time, captain Coralie Lassource and her partners blocked the road of their rivals from Metz, whether in C1 (quarter-finals), in the cup (semi-finals) or in the league after a stunning final. Beaten by seven lengths in Moselle (31-24), the Brestoises had imposed themselves on the same gap on the return (29-22) in their Arena to seize the title thanks to a greater number of goals scored away from home. . A real feat in a season turned upside down by the Covid-19 pandemic. “
I still don't know how the girls did it yet! We had to wait until the last minute to win. There is only sport to provide emotions like that
”, savored the President of Brest Gérard Le Saint, during the press conference for the start of the school year,remembering this crazy epilogue.
We want to win the title but we do not imagine it as revenge.
Emmanuel Mayonnade
Does the Breton club aim to do as well this season?
“
We have titles to keep, in particular that of champion of France.
We know very well that it will be very hard,
”points out Lassource.
And "
it's a new cycle that opens
", adds the one who is also captain of the Blue.
New cycle because the "
BBH
" (Brest Bretagne Handball) has a new coach, Pablo Morel having succeeded Laurent Bezeau, and two major players have left, the Swedish playmaker Isabelle Gullden and the Slovenian gunner Ana Gros.
The challenge promises to be all the more met as the Messines, weaned from the trophy in 2021, want to win back.
"
We want to win the title but we do not imagine it as revenge.
The pressure is strong, but it is at least as consistent as that which we could have when we were in the case of Brest with the ambition to just keep this title
", relativizes Emmanuel Mayonnade, the trainer of the"
Dragonnes
".
Paris 92 as an outsider
If Metz attracted an Olympic champion, left winger Chloé Valentini (ex-Besançon), he also had to deal with the departures of several internationals (Houette, Broch, Eckerle ...) and has not completed his recruitment.
Paris 92 has done well with its own (arrivals of Lara Gonzalez, Gnonsiane Niombla, Marie-Hélène Sajka in particular) and looks like a serious outsider.
The Nantes Neptunes, finalists of the Coupe de France and winners of the European League, the second continental level, will want to continue to progress.
“
We've had a duo for far too long.
It would be good for the championship if four or five teams could compete for the title.
", Considers Olivier Krumbholz.
The coach of the Blue will follow this very closely in the perspective of the World Cup in Spain in December.
The program of the 1st day:
Wednesday
(8:00 p.m.) Bourg-de-Péage - Brest
Paris 92 - Chambray-lès-Tours
Mérignac - Dijon
Toulon - Nice
Metz - Besançon
(8:30 p.m.) Celles-sur-Belle - Fleury-les-Aubrais
Map -de-Cuques - Nantes
