Despite a failing conquest and a worrying defense, Pau made Toulon doubt upon returning from the locker room. before the last twenty minutes in hell.
“IThere is a team that is better at rugby than the other. There is a team which has a better scrum, there is a team which has better touch, which was more aggressive and more opportunistic. This team is better than ours. However, we came back to 24-20. And there were clearly two matches. I have difficulty accepting and understanding this last quarter of an hour. We sank.” His eyes still haggard, Piqueronies was tired. Like a boxer who watches his opponent raise his arms, without even understanding where the last one came from.
There is, in this Section, a crass ambivalence: it undoubtedly offers the most entertaining matches of the Top 14, while taking care, at the end, to turn its cheek to receive the slap. A state of affairs that annoys Gailleton. The international center also did not understand why his team did not believe more after Luc's try. “It really concerns me. We can't stay in the match until the end. The result shouldn't have been this.”
Piqueronies: “You must have stronger convictions to hold matches”
Close to tipping the coin to the right side, Pau finally took the slice due in particular to culpable indiscipline (14 faults in total and two warnings), an unworthy conquest (4 balls in touch, several penalties conceded in scrum ) and a physical inability to accelerate in money-time. Crippling shortcomings which explain why the Béarnais are one of the worst teams outside the Top 14 (one point taken in six trips). “This is a very disappointing ratio, admitted the Pau manager. It is far below our expectations. There is an admission of weakness far from home. We need to have more resources. You have to have stronger convictions to hold on to matches. We are seriously lacking energy. We will find excuses for those who are absent. Above all, we must raise our heads and have deeper convictions.”
The Pau captain was worried about the overall state of mind. “After my yellow, we gave up. It’s the mental (which is in question, Editor’s note). We currently have a big lack of confidence. I can't tell you more… We certainly leave with zero points, but above all with full suitcases.” And they weren't filled with Christmas presents.
