Former third row of Perpignan where he spent nine seasons, Karl Chateau made his comeback to Aimé-Giral with his club Vannes. He was obviously disappointed with the result (32-13 defeat and offensive bonus point for the Catalans) and hopes that the first cut in this Top 14 will allow the Bretons to recharge their batteries and thus get back into the race to maintain their position.
Despite Perpignan's domination, Vannes was still in a good position at the break. How did you experience this meeting which was ultimately won with the offensive bonus by Usap?
We held on. Afterwards, we are not effective at the end of the first half because we have an opportunity to come back almost to an equal score. The last five meters are usually one of our strong points but we were countered today. I think the pressure put in the rucks by the Catalans posed a problem for us throughout the match. It would have been good for us at the end of the first half to get back on track and perhaps the second half would have been different.
How do you explain your difficulties on the sidelines, particularly in the first period when you lose significant ammunition?
First of all, it’s a good defense from Perpignan. I also think that the noise in the stadium may have interfered with our routine on the sidelines. And we were not able to adapt straight away to the good Catalan defense. It was better in the second act but it's true that we lost three important balls and that didn't allow us to set up our launches, which are one of the positive points for us.
Do you feel like you've been missing a little bit of everything everywhere?
Maybe… Looking at the nature of the match and the result, the Catalans were superior to us but I'm not going to say that we lacked everything everywhere. We have been dominated in several sectors.
How did you experience this return to Aimé-Giral on a personal level?
It was very special from the moment we entered the field, with a few looks and a few “chambers”. This stadium is always buzzing and I always enjoy being there again even if the public wasn't there to support me. The atmosphere is there, the supporters are always behind their team and it is very pleasant to see that Usap still attracts so many people and that the club is still the standard of the department. It was really really cool. The applause when I come out is always nice. Afterwards, you never please everyone and I wouldn't have been surprised if there had been two or three whistles. But I'm very happy that it happened like this. Afterwards I would have liked to play a little more but it's not my choice. And then if there had been more whistles towards the referees at the end of the match with a different result, it wouldn't have bothered me (laughs).
After nine days, the first break will allow you to breathe a little…
We have quite a few players who played in Pro D2 in recent seasons with a rhythm of four or five games before a break. There, it's hard, especially since we are in a spiral where we don't necessarily win even if we can see the positive in each match. It's also mentally tough to see yourself at the bottom of the rankings. It's physically and mentally demanding to always be at the level. We know that we have to be at 120% to hope for anything in this championship so we have a ten-day break. We will take advantage of this to cut and regenerate.
France
Rugby
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