It's a nice slap in the face. We came through against a very good team. We clearly weren't there. We showed our worst face in two seasons in Pro D2. We were caught everywhere and that must not happen again. It's up to us to erase all that and move on very quickly to what's next.
It's not really the best face to show a week before the derby…
No, what's more, we had prepared well for this match in Béziers, without thinking about Mont-de-Marsan. Without talking too much about it. But from Monday, we will switch to that by erasing all the mistakes made. No two weekends are the same, so it's up to us to get back to work to move forward, show something else and earn points.
To what extent did the extra-sporting context weigh on the preparation for this match in Béziers?
There was no impact. On the contrary, we were keen to show a good image of the club. We can only redeem ourselves on the ground. It's a failure. But we are certainly not going to hide behind that. At no time did this impact us. We were able to train as needed. We came with a competitive group. Unfortunately, it didn't. We said a couple of things to each other at halftime. But after the match, it's head down, in the shower and we'll take stock this weekend. We got water everywhere. The assessment is quickly made.
The Dacquois have never had any illusions in Béziers: “We were caught everywhere, this must not happen again”.
SYLVIE CAMBON / AFP
The other black point of the evening, are the injured? Falatea and Aletti were knocked out, Puntous and Ferrer suffered ankle sprains…
Obviously, it never happens at the right time. But it's part of a season. We'll have to deal with it. We have a large enough workforce to last all year. We know that a season is very long. Last year we were lucky to have very few. There, it's nothing bad for everyone. We turn our backs. Those who weren't there this weekend will continue with a strong spirit of revenge. For Kito (Falatea), it’s a big knockout. But he was there, with us, after the match, things were better. He took his shower and will come home with us.
Pro D2: in Béziers, US Dax was not there
Eight days before the Landes derby, the Dacquois almost did not exist against the unleashed Biterrois, authors of seven tries (50-17). This bad evening concludes a week to forget for the former promotions, who also count their injured
We have seen too little of your gaming DNA, how do you explain it?
Already, by the offensive sequences in Béziers that we suffered from the start. We took bursts, tests very quickly. We didn't know how to keep the ball, although I think we had opportunities. We were able to create progress by playing a few duels, but we dropped our balls too quickly, we had our balls scratched very quickly, and they played their turnovers too easily. At one point, we were able to slow them down, to win our collisions. But behind it, it's a very good team, it's going very quickly. They took the lead and behind, we tried to fight as best we could by creating play in the second half. Except it was too late and we couldn't keep the score any longer.
How does it go on the field, between you, when the tests come one after the other?
We try to save the furniture, to find sources of motivation, to score tries without worrying about the result. We try to keep the ball, to show another face. But hey, unfortunately, we didn't succeed. Even when we were at their place, when we had carried balls, we did not manage to get to the other side of the line. We're going to turn our backs and wait until next week.
How can we also explain the lack of consistency away from home this season compared to last year? Is the surprise effect over?
Surely, we are more expected. We showed a good face on the outside, but we didn't take any points. Over two matches, we missed the defensive bonus point in the last action (Grenoble and Agen, Editor's note). In Brive, we have the penalty of winning. This evening is really the first time we've been caught everywhere. This must not happen again.
Did you watch the Montois on TV Thursday evening?
Yes, we watched them (smile). Well, after all, not all weekends are the same. We will observe their matches more closely this week, what they have been offering since the start of the season. But like Béziers, it is a team that tries to take action. It's up to us to be more rigorous in defense and on man if we want to exist.
The derby will be played near you, in Bayonne. Are you looking forward to it?
