Are the words easy to find after this beating (37-7)?
First of all, I want to apologize to the supporters, who came in large numbers to see a performance like that… It really hurts my heart. We know that they will always be behind us whatever happens, that they will be our first supports next weekend (Sunday October 20, with the UBB reception, Editor’s note) and we, for our part, we I’m going to have a great week, I think… We’ll try to reward them next weekend.
How to explain this? The start was catastrophic, but the match can only be summed up as that?
We were overwhelmed in every area. Lack of intensity on certain things… They took the initiatives, we reacted throughout the match. It’s complicated against a Bayonne team which has a lot of talent.
This week, the Rochelais said that the staff had insisted on the need to succeed at the start of the match and to defend better than during the team’s last outings, but the opposite happened?
Yes, because in our movements, we are not at 100%, in our communication, we are not at 100%, in our collisions we are not at 100%. When you suffer, rugby is more complicated.
“They perhaps had more determination, and that’s what hurts the most”
Do you think there is a problem in the approach to matches, with all these first periods leaving something to be desired?
We will have to think about it with a clear head and discuss it among ourselves so that it doesn’t happen again. We will try to work even harder, even better. It’s only October, we still have time but… (he breathes) I want to say that this has happened to us in the past, and that it will certainly happen to us in future seasons. But it’s still hard to digest.
You were taken in front, even though it is your strong point, how do you explain it?
Maybe they had more determination, and that’s what hurts the most. Normally, the desire in rugby is the simplest. We start the match, we get broken twice, you immediately give a bad image, and you rather give them confidence. The hot sensation is complicated.
We won’t say it’s a blessing in disguise, but with the upcoming UBB reception, the team will be on alert.
Of course. Now, we didn’t need that to be, but we’ll see. It hurts me, because we have a team with a lot of talent, great players, we don’t need to be stung to react. Now… we were double European champions but that was two years ago, and if we lifted these trophies, it’s because we moved on the pitch. I have the impression that we have forgotten certain aspects a little. Well, we shouldn’t question everything either, I’m perhaps a little defeatist, but that’s because we’re hot (smile). We’re off to a good start to the season, we missed it completely, we’re going to have a long extra week to analyze it, because we’re playing on Sunday. We will try to redress the situation.
