Cédric Jalabert, manager of the Espoirs, looks back on this first victory obtained last Saturday against FCG, on the rest of the championship and also on the training course to come this weekend in Barcelona.
This first victory of the season does you good…
Yes, obviously it starts the season from an accounting point of view even if we didn’t have a bad match in Lyon the previous weekend. We had not been sufficiently rewarded. This victory against FC Grenoble turns the page on the failed start to the season and directs us towards the future.
What is your analysis of the match against FCG?
We had a very good first half with the support of the wind which was well controlled. We used the kicking game well and scored a lot. We had a large advantage at the break with 33 to 0 in our favor. In the second half, there is a little relaxation with a less controlled and accomplished act. So we still have work to do but that’s good, there are still quite a few matches left.
What is your view on this difficult 1st block? (2 losses, 1 victory)
We knew it would be complicated. It’s always difficult to move on after reaching the final the previous season. We had a complex preseason with a lack of collective work following the Supersevens stages. Hosting Perpignan on the first day wasn’t easy either. There are a lot of elements that made this start to the season difficult. We finally take 7 points on this 1st block. We have limited the damage!
An internship is coming up this weekend in Barcelona…
The idea is to spend time together since we haven’t had much time since the beginning to get together. Then it’s also interesting to get out of context. We did our internships within partner clubs in the 100% region in recent seasons so we decided to see another context. We are going to do a lot of work to be ready for this second block. On site, we will do training on Friday evening but also one jointly with the BUC on Saturday afternoon. We have established a privileged relationship with the Barcelona club and are very happy with it. The goal will be to spend time together.
What is your vision for this second block?
We have a new block awaiting us after this training with 3 matches including 2 away. We go to Aurillac, we receive Clermont, undefeated leader, then we will go to Toulon which is a direct opponent for qualification. A big block!
