Aviron Bayonnais has never placed six forwards on its bench but that could quickly change, admits manager Grégory Patat. A rarity which can also be explained by the presence of two openers like Camille Lopez and Joris Segonds.
With Jeremy Davidson at Castres, you are the only one not to have used the 6-2 this season. Is it a choice?
It’s not voluntary. Until now, we have had three-quarters who returned to the game and who were not sure of being able to play 80 minutes. But today, I’m calling on Gerard Fraser to make it 6-2. Today, the Top 14 is so physical that I need to have resources up front. It can bring density in a championship where we can be entitled to twelve changes. It is therefore a very interesting option. Afterwards, you must have hybrid profiles in your workforce. That is to say a Baptiste Germain who can play two roles, or a profile like Esteban Capilla who can play as a winger. Even if he doesn’t have all the benchmarks, he has a profile that I can easily integrate into this position. Today, we are not closing the door. If it hasn’t happened yet, it’s because we haven’t been able to do it. But it’s something we can’t deny ourselves.
Can the type of terrain or climatic conditions play a role in the composition of your bench?
It is above all the profiles that we can have on the bench or in the starting XV which will dictate this choice. When the conditions are difficult, the 6-2 can be interesting and this was particularly the case against the Scarlets with little three-quarter play, little animation, few races. Afterwards, one player I really miss to try the 6-2 is Reece Hodge because he is capable of playing all the positions from behind. With a player like that, we can more easily manage our squad. We had to make a 6-2 against the Scarlets and I ultimately had no choice because of my infirmary. But, it’s a question that will come up for the trip to Vannes.
Opting for a 6-2 also means less than three-quarters of your squad playing. Is this also a constraint for a manager?
I don’t think so, because to favor the 6-2, you also have to consider more rotations from one match to the next. They are also more and more regular in the Top 14 squads. Few teams are carried over from one weekend to the next. It is certain that it is a management job but, in the three-quarter positions, there are a lot of young players in the squad so it is perhaps easier to explain.
You also have an asset in Bayonne which is a constraint to consider a 6-2 with two players like Camille Lopez and Joris Segonds…
I have Camille and Joris who bring me a lot of things in their differences in play and profiles, and today I can’t deprive myself of that either. Today, we could do with Baptiste Germain who covers nine and ten or Reece Hodge who played fly-half at international level. But I have two complementary profiles that allow me to write scripts. Camille has an attacking profile, close to the advantage line, with the ability to animate and find spaces. For his part, Joris, even if he should not be confined only to his role, is very good in end-of-match management or in occupying the field with the desire to play higher up in the opposing camp. I have two ten with complementary profiles who can bring me different things.
Is this the end of players who can only play one position?
I believe a lot in versatility because of our championship, which goes faster where things hit harder, while being very homogeneous. Rotation is therefore more important in the forward pack and this should lead to versatility at the back. But this is also the case up front when you have to manage 5-3s. I have a lot of players who can play 4 or 7, like Chouzenoux, Iturria, Héguy or Denis Marchois who can play 4, 5, or 7. You have to take this into account in your future squad construction. There are still real 5s but today those we call the 4 and a half can be interesting in the composition of a squad. Behind, we have Erbinartegaray who can play center or wing back; Tiberghien covers 11, 13 and 15. The wingers are all versatile backs except Mateo Carreras. Today, this trend also goes with the desire to reduce the number of professional contracts, with the uncertainty also of maintaining the salary cap. These are a lot of constants to take into account, without forgetting that of Jiff. This means that with only 13 non-Jiffs in his squad, a non-Jiff becomes very interesting if he is versatile.
For example, Vannes is the team that uses the 6-2 the most. Do you look at the composition of the opposing bench in your match preparation?
We look but we don’t pay much attention to it. I look a lot more at players in specific positions on the front line. I also look at the profile of the hinge players, to know if it is a nine who can finish in ten. We can then attract the players’ attention by putting a lot more pressure on the starting ten… Well, before, there were contracts but that no longer exists! Before, when there was only a ten in the opposite team, generally, he was entitled to his little delayed tackle as a rule (laughs). But that doesn’t happen anymore.
Is 6-2 a risky option?
I find that the risk is controlled. Even the French team manages to regularly use the 6-2 despite international constraints with fewer changes allowed. But today you can easily manipulate the team during a match. We never find ourselves in difficulty. We see it in European Cup matches.
