Top 14 – Jeremy Davidson (Castres): “Obviously, there is a lot of disappointment…”

Jérémy, this evening, is there a lot of disappointment, or are you happy to have fulfilled the contract and to have won, which allowed you to believe in it until the end?
Obviously, there is a lot of disappointment… We were following the Racing match. First, in the match, we had to reverse the trend of the first half. That’s what we did, we showed a lot of character. The bench brought a lot. Winning here is a very good result, we had a very good week of work. The players were very motivated to hold the barrage. Unfortunately, Racing scored three minutes from the end, which deprived us of this possibility. If we want to look further, losing matches at home put us in this situation. We could have been in a better position before this last day. Afterwards, if we only look at this match, I am very happy with the second half. The first was very difficult with the weather, the Bayonne team is very good on carried balls. With the wind, she played at home, we were under pressure. We received two yellow cards. We made too many mistakes, but there was a reaction. We knew that by winning here, we could hope for a final phase, but there was this last action at Racing. We should have had a better match against Racing at home…

How did you experience the end of the match?
I was frustrated… We have a penalty, we hit in touch. We had to score two tries to hope for an offensive bonus and we had very little time. We miss the touch and that takes away the opportunity to play everything in the last seconds to hope for the bonus. It’s difficult to predict the scenarios with all the matches at the same time you have to concentrate on your performance. Nevertheless, I am very proud that we finished in seventh place. We could have done better, but I am very proud of tonight’s performance.

You will play in the Champions Cup next year. Is this any consolation?
The goal was the final phase. The Champions Cup is a bonus for everyone, for the club, but tonight the objective was the final phase. […] Of course we believed in the qualification. We asked, into the microphone, if everything was good and it was. But three minutes before the end, everything changed at Racing. We followed the end of the match in La Rochelle. Stade Rochelais did not want to play to score one more try. Unfortunately, you cannot influence the attitudes and goals of other teams.

How did you feel about the group at the final whistle?
I just arrived in front of you, we haven’t spent much time together. Guys are leaving, it’s very important to thank them for their investment over the years in Castres. The players spent time together to celebrate the end of the season, even if tonight there is a bitter taste…

What did you think of the entry of Loris Zarantonello who, like the bench, did good?
Like Yan Peysson, he helped our touch. Loris, he brings a lot of pep every time he comes home. He had a superb season, progressing with us. He is on the shelves of Italy and it is deserved for him.