Delighted with the bonus point won at the siren which allowed his team to take the lead in Pro D2 alone, Grenoble coach Nicolas Nadau savored above all the character of his men.
What is your feeling at the end of this new bonus won in stoppage time?
We are extremely happy with this evening’s result, after a difficult first half. We had difficulty getting back to work after the match at Oyonnax, difficulty getting into rhythm. Obviously, at the end of the evening, we are happy to be first. During the pre-season training camp, we promised ourselves to be in the six to a third of the championship, we did even better, it’s a nice gift we gave ourselves.
How do you explain your difficulties during the first hour of play?
It was hard because of the opponent, firstly, who is the 3e championship defense and the best away team. We knew we would have to be persistent. It was difficult to energize the game, it was hard to undermine them. We at least managed to be patient, we had long sequences which hurt them.
We nevertheless have the feeling that the match had difficulty settling, due to several missed opportunities after returning from the locker room…
In the first half too, we had opportunities that we created without realizing them. It’s good for us, because it shows that we still have things to improve. It was hard for 60 minutes, but it’s the pace we put in during these 60 minutes that makes us finish well. We showed character, continuing from last season, and that’s what delights me because the mental resources of this group are unsuspected.
Human resources too, since your team won despite numerous absences…
I like the impatience that the players can have, they all want to bite. We had five internationals absent, some injured, and despite this, all the dynamic that we managed to create over this period made it possible to generate this emulation, this dynamic. I hope we won’t stop there tonight.
You are leaders at the end of this second block. Enough to start seriously considering a place at the top of the table at the end of the season?
We must not put the cart before the horse. We made a deal with the players: if they won, they would have a week’s vacation. They have earned the right to rest and after that, there will still be a long way to go. Let’s take what we can take and we’ll take stock on December 22.
