Just like when he competed at the highest French level as a player, Romain Guillard still combines high standards and humility now that he is a coach.
After the defeat of his team in Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire (26-20), Saturday, during a duel at the top, the double French D1 champion (2007, 2014) had no difficulty recognizing the superiority of the leader of Indre-et-Loire while emphasizing the good attitude of his family. “We have regrets when we go through it and we say to ourselves that we could have done betterhe explained. I believe that we logically lost against a team that was better than us, this was the case yesterday and throughout the first part of the championship. There is obviously disappointment because we had worked and we would have liked to achieve something but we came up against someone who was stronger than us. »
In the eyes of the Poitevin coach, the Saint-Cyriens also remain superior in the game. “In our group, there is this team which is above the rest and the others. We can of course beat Saint-Cyr, but if we want to achieve that, we have to be almost perfect. There are no regrets, rather disappointment and a little frustration because I think that we could still do better to hold on to this kind of team. »
“It shows us what separates us from the best”
The Poitevins, however, were not unworthy, reflecting their good start and the good performance of Adrien Tillet in goal, author of 13 saves. “We were very good defensivelyrecognizes their coach. I am really satisfied with the involvement and the defensive energy that we put in. But we also lost a lot of balls, we gave them a lot of gifts and this team doesn't need to perform like that. There is a little frustration with the content but the result is amply logical. »
And even if the teammates of Hugo Herault, captain in the absence of Léo Godineau (knee), lost, they had a very good performance in the first phase. It has been a long time since Grand Poitiers last played top-of-the-table matches and will spend the holidays on the podium, well established in third place. “Our first part of the season is more than honorable, I think and that should in any case give us the ambition and direction of the work that we still have to do with the group. This is the lesson I learned from this match. This should show us the reality of what we lack and the distance that separates us from what is best. »
Both a builder and ambitious, Romain Guillard knows that his players are on the right track but that they still need to work and progress to reach the level of the Tourangeaux. The basics are there but it will take time. “We lack a little experience but my desire was to rejuvenate the squad with strong potential,” he recalled. Their hatching could do good in the future. We also missed rotations. We are very tired, we started well but then we collapsed a little against a team a little richer than us. We lacked a little bit of leadership, tactical precision and serenity. If it's once every twelve matches, I accept it but it must not become recurring, which is not the case at all today. » And the Poitevins intend to meditate on this lesson to come back even stronger on February 8 when they host Torcy after the long winter break.
