Biarritz Olympique wanted “gauging” ourselves at the start of this new chapter in Béziers. It must be noted that although it is not perfect, the test is very satisfactory with a victory on the pitch of the Raoul Barrière stadium (19-23)Biarritz head coach Boris Bouhraoua looked back on his players’ performance and the small lapse that could have cost his group the victory.
France Bleu Pays Basque: When we see the scenario of the first two matches, we say to ourselves that it is better to avoid having a heart condition when we love Biarritz Olympique…
Boris Bouhraoua : I think that’s a bit why we love this sport. We come looking for emotions, whether negative or positive. Obviously, we come looking for the positive ones, but if we do the math at the end of a career, I think there are more negative ones. So we have to know how to appreciate the positive ones. It’s true that we have a few scares, it’s a great path for us to develop. We really have to show humility first and foremost, but it’s certain that we don’t win in Béziers every year. When you know Pierre Caillet, the strategist that he is and the experience of this team, this massive pack, it’s certain that it’s a very big performance that the Biarritz Olympique players have achieved tonight. They can be proud of themselves because it’s really a match of fighters and gladiators that we saw tonight.
Saying that you were going to “fight like dogs” as Baptiste Fariscot said before the match is one thing. Doing it here in Béziers is another…
We said it, we want to show humility, put actions on our words and above all grow the project. Moreover, as I speak to you, I really have a big thought for all the players who stayed in Biarritz. Because in fact this match, we won it during the week and I try to make the group understand that. A match is won during the week. If we arrive at the weekend, on the day of the match, it is already too late, and there, it is absolutely the entire BO group that worked hard this week. We were all in the same boat and that is what allows us to be competitive against this great team from Béziers.
How do you explain the eleven points that escaped you and the fact that you lost track of the match in the last 20 minutes?
It’s probably normal. Frankly, we work a lot on non-playing time, on mental capacity and rebounds. There will always be negative moments in a match, always. The key is how we manage to bounce back and, above all, to make them as short as possible. Here, they were shorter than last week (against Valence-Romans, Editor’s note) so I’m rather happy. But they are still there and there are too many for my taste. We will, therefore, continue to work on that. To try to answer the question, we are a group still under construction. For some players, they have only been playing together for a month and a half and a great team is built over time. The players have to get to know each other, know when we are good or not. It is because this group continues to get to know each other that we find ourselves in this kind of situation.
Without targeting Thomas Dolhagaray and Kylian Jaminet who had a great game in the running game, but their failure in front of the posts cost points which could have been detrimental…
The goal scorer is what allows you to win a match, but it’s not because of him if you lose. It’s a very, very hard task. They work hard and just that fact alone reassures me. Obviously, they weren’t successful today. It could cost us dearly. But I also know how they work and it will pay off one day. I’m confident. But I agree with you, in a rugby match, you have to score points with your feet, that’s for sure. In the game, both of them were extraordinary. In the battle for territory, the mix of hand/foot play, the counter-attacks and the control phases. They were very balanced and I loved it.
One of the keys to the game was your ability to win the ruck zone…
We knew that the ruck phase was going to be one of the keys. We worked a lot on this sector this week and even globally, since the restart at the beginning of July. It is one of the wars that must be won in all rugby matches. Against this Béziers team, we were very afraid of these areas and we did well indeed. We were very good on the analysis with counter-rucks at the right time, we were also not too greedy on the ground to avoid making too many mistakes. It was a good performance in this sector.
What could be better than starting with two wins in two games, before hosting Oyonnax next week in Aguiléra?
Frankly, we studied the Pro D2 calendar, like all coaches, I imagine, and I don’t see when we’re going to be able to rest. There isn’t a single match, honestly, that we can let go of, and even less so at home. Everyone wants to fill up at home and wants to go and win at the opponent’s place. That’s what makes this championship so great. Here, we have an ogre arriving next week. A team that I know since last year, we studied it a lot in Top 14 (when he supervised the defense of Stade Français, Editor’s note). It’s a team that had formidable weapons for this Pro D2 championship. Their squad is scary, but now, we also want to continue to build and we have to be present in the fight to please our Aguiléra fans.
Can you tell us a word about Ekain Imaz Agirre and Ellande Sanderson’s first minutes in the BO jersey?
With pleasure. The first thing that pleases us is that they are Basques. It is very important for us, for the identity of our group, for the culture that we want to bring back to Biarritz Olympique. But obviously, rugby criteria are needed otherwise they would not be here. They are very efficient in their game. They are combative for the moment. They tackle very hard, they like to defend with a strong mentality for each one. Then, on the offensive aspect, Ellande has a big aerial profile, he is interesting on the touchline and we are making him work on his contact zone so that he hardens up even more. He is a young player from the training center. As for Ekain, he is a very complete player, capable of defending very hard, of moving everywhere on the field, of making big efforts from the shadows. He is also a player in the making. We are really extremely proud of them and they are two players that we want to help grow in the project.
