Greece, Thursday

Thursday morning, 9:30, in Loutraki, Greece: the first jack of the women’s European championships goes up. And France’s shooter will be Nelly Peyré.

Remember that name, because she is about to have the busiest week of her life. Peyré was recalled in the second round of selection, and she is pulling double duty: precision shooting on Thursday, triplette from Friday. She is a double French champion this season. They did not pick her to fill a chair.

Here is the team: Nadège Baussian-Protat, Sandrine Poinsot, Nelly Peyré, Toréa Tairio. Four players, one new boss — Ludovic Pereira, who took over the women’s collective and announced this selection on September 18. No Philippe Quintais on the bench. None.

You want the context? Three weeks ago this team did not exist in this form. Cindy Peyrot and Angélique Colombet — two of the biggest names in French women’s pétanque — walked out of the national collective in mid-September, and the whole thing played out in public. Ego clashes, statements, the works. The federation rebuilt around four players willing to go to war together. That is either a disaster or the start of something. We find out Thursday.

The program is a marathon. Wednesday evening is the draw. Thursday: the nations parade at 8:30, then precision qualifying at 9:30 and the repechage at 2. Friday is the triplette Swiss system — five rounds, 9 in the morning to 5 in the evening. If you have never watched a Swiss-system day in pétanque, imagine running a tournament inside a furnace and calling it qualifying. Saturday: precision quarterfinals and semifinals in the morning, triplette knockouts from 2 o’clock. Sunday: the semifinals, then the precision final at 2:15, then the triplette final at 4:15. Two titles. Four days.

Now the stakes, and I will not sugarcoat them. France holds no senior women’s European title. None. In triplette, Belgium are the holders and France took bronze in 2024. In precision shooting, no Frenchwoman has won since Charlotte Darodes in 2018. Last time out, Cindy Peyrot — yes, that Cindy Peyrot — lost the precision final to Spain’s Sara Díaz Reyes, who has now won it twice running, 2022 and 2024. She will be in Loutraki.

The rivals are the usual suspects plus some new ones. Belgium in triplette. Spain in precision. Italy and Germany are coming, and keep an eye on England and Sweden — the emerging nations are not emerging anymore, they have arrived.

Here is what I tell my players before a big weekend: forget the noise, play the boule in front of you. This French team has had nothing but noise for a month. If they can walk into that boulodrome Thursday morning and see only the jack, they can win this. The talent is there. Peyré is in the form of her life, Baussian-Protat and Poinsot are rocks, Tairio has been solid all season and won gold at the Mediterranean Games.

Two titles to reconquer, as the French press puts it. I put it simpler: four players, four days, and a chance to shut everybody up. Allez les Bleues.