Elected man of the match during Toulon’s success against Harlequins (33-21), the third wing spoke of his pride in front of the press, and looked forward to the last match against Sale.
What feeling prevails in the locker room after this qualification?
Last year, it was a great frustration for us to leave the European Cup with four defeats. We were keen to redeem ourselves. During my injury, the group ideally launched the European Cup. The group started very well in the first two matches with a victory in South Africa and another against Glasgow, who are a team in good form. Today, we were keen to validate the qualification. We wanted to offer this qualification to the public and the club. It’s been a long time since we qualified for the round of 16. Today we are the happiest.
Toulon made the difference in the first half…
It was a successful first period. We had opportunities. We scored every time we went inside 22 meters. That was our biggest strength in this first period. They played hard. We defended well then we scored. It’s very accomplished. We want to add volume every weekend. In people’s minds, the English teams run more and the French teams play a more direct game. We wanted to hold the ball. We did it. That’s why we won today.
When you returned from the locker room, you experienced a low point. How do you explain it?
It’s a shame. We always have a moment during matches where we go through it for ten or twenty minutes. We put in a lot of effort during the first 40 minutes. We managed to take off in the first half. They doubled in volume in the second half. We rested a little, even though we said the opposite at the break. We were able to keep the score and give them a try to break them with Gael (Dréan, Editor’s note) It sucks to go through it for 20 minutes. We must work on this area of progress. I don’t know if it’s physical or mental. If we had the solution, we would have found it. There was a big gap. They came back safely. We suffered too much, without having the ball. The referee favored the team which had possession. There was a very good team in front of us. We knew how to stay united in defense. It was a very complete team in front of us. There is a great collective. It offers play. Their collective managed to find solutions and gaps in our defense. We will have to correct the situation. We covered the third curtain too much. They played the shots. We were able to show solidarity.
With what ambition are you going to go to Sale for the last day of the Champions Cup group stage?
We must win, clearly! We have a group of 40 players which is competitive. No matter who goes to Sale (Kyle Sinckler will not have to travel following a suspected broken forearm, Editor’s note), we have the desire to win there and keep first place. We want to go as far as possible. It’s important to receive as long as possible. We will do everything to maintain our first place.
