INTERVIEW. Pro D2: “We once again showed great strength of character”, underlines Rémi Vaquin after the defeat of SU Agen in Brive

Rémi, we have the impression that you were not far away in Brive…

For a while, it's true that we're in the game. Every time they score, we come back into the game. It's a shame. We are frustrated not to pay ourselves, because we are giving too many gifts on a match like this.

Also read:
INTERVIEW. Pro D2: “We didn't take advantage of all the opportunities”, regrets Javier Eissmann after the defeat of SU Agen in Brive

Is the turning point your double numerical superiority?

Quite. We do not score during this moment. We will analyze cold. In the heat of the moment, it's very difficult to analyze the situation, but it's a key moment where we can't take the score. We also have a second key moment where, at 22-18, we can take the score at an important moment in the match. These are several moments where we failed to stick the knife in and hurt the opponent.

Also read:
Pro D2: Chilean Javier Eissmann continues at SU Agen as medical joker for third row Arnaud Duputs

Did the Brive bench also make the difference?

Certainly. We had a good game, but we were penalized too much in winning. We took twelve penalties in the match, the vast majority of which were in scrums or on balls carried from Brive. We knew them to be conquerors in that regard. They proved it again this Thursday. As soon as we did what we had worked on and put in place, we were able to counter them. As soon as we failed to pay attention, we were caught. It's a shame.

Also read:
DECRYPTION. Pro D2: SU Agen had room to do better but it poorly negotiated its double numerical superiority in Brive

There are also positives…

This match reminds us that we are at the dawn of a project. We are a young team, and I am sure that this match will help us progress for the future.

Also read:
Pro D2: “We still give too many gifts”, the first reactions after the defeat of SU Agen against Brive

You struggle against the teams at the top of the table. How do you explain it?

We also played almost all of the Top 6 away. This explains some of the pain. As we say, we are at the beginning of our project. We are trying to build our game, the group too… I think we once again showed great strength of character. We could have given up at several points. On the contrary, we moved forward. We had a great state of mind, but we have to stop the gifts, because we pay dearly for it.

Also read:
SERIES (1/4): “We are going to have a great second half of the season…” Jean-François Fonteneau and Sébastien Calvet take stock of SU Agen at mid-season

You did not hesitate to play despite the conditions…

Yes, but you have to play wisely. Playing is our DNA. This is what we want to look for. But you shouldn't play in front of the defense all the time, especially when there are difficult conditions and an aggressive defense. It took us a little time to correct this. We did it afterwards, and we saw that, as soon as we got to play at their place, we were very efficient, we managed to score, make them make mistakes, and have chances.