the essential
At 26, Baptiste Mouchous, trained in Bigorre and at Stade Toulousain but professional in Carcassonne, Rouen then Montauban, has solid experience in Pro D2. He will start in 10 this Friday, December 20 in Sapiac to face Oyonnax on the 15th day of Pro D2 (7:30 p.m.).
With the injury absences of Jérôme Bosviel and Thomas Fortunel, you are propelled into 10 against Oyonnax. How do you envisage this change of position?
I was trained as an open guard, but I play more often at the back. Fullback or flyhalf, it doesn’t matter as long as I’m on the field. It’s been a while since I last played in 10, but I returned to this position in Béziers after half an hour of play. I’m not worried.
What lessons do you learn from this third consecutive defeat in Béziers?
Without our ammunition in touch, it’s difficult to develop the game. We have to be cleaner on the conquest. We managed to move the ball in sequences, something we haven’t been able to do too much lately, but it’s a shame. We must be consistent over 80 minutes.
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Yet, you believed it, at 20-20…
Yes, we were down 17-0 and we were able to come back to equalize at 20-all. We were led from the start to Brive, facing Soyaux-Angoulême, and to Béziers. We must take care of our beginnings at all costs. To get back from 17 points behind, it took a lot of energy and that will pay off at some point. Unfortunately, we came away with zero points again.
What do you think of this Oyonnax team which comes to Sapiac on the back of an impressive success over Soyaux-Angoulême (53-10)?
It’s a team that comes down from the Top 14. It has a squad to play at the top and it’s not in its place. We expect a tough and competitive match before the break. She comes to win but we must stop this negative spiral.
Also read:
Pro D2: third defeat in a row at zero points for Montauban
Can we talk about a trap match?
No, at this level, all matches are tricky, we saw it at home against Angoulême. We knew Oyonnax was going to wake up and that’s what they did. They also brought in quality guys who moved the team forward.
On a personal level, we feel comfortable and well integrated, are we wrong?
No, the old ones have integrated the new ones well and I feel pretty good within the team. The victories at the start of the season gave a good general atmosphere and this is felt on the pitch.
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Biarritz lost five points on the green carpet and here you are again sixth. Is this important?
No, we are not particularly interested in the Biarrots, especially since they can appeal and recover their points. You only have to count on us. The most important thing is to think about the match against Oyonnax and regain victory in front of our supporters.
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