Back after his hamstring injury, Alexandre Roumat is obviously satisfied with Toulouse's victory against Montpellier to begin this doubles period. He who finished the match on the second row, a position in which he could also play with the French XV to start the 6 Nations Tournament, while he should be recalled to Marcoussis this Sunday.
There were two very different halves in this match. How do you analyze it?
Indeed, the first half was very engaged, quite jerky in rhythm. We had worked all week on this Montpellier team, we knew what they were going to offer, namely what they did in this first half. That is to say, play occupation, try to create counterattacks, be very good at winning, especially in the scrum where she hurt us. On the touchline too, we had difficulty getting clean balls. I think that, in the intensity and in the desire, we were present. But we couldn't capitalize on the few opportunities we had because we were losing ammunition. At half-time, we said to ourselves that, despite the complicated weather conditions, we had to try as much as possible to produce our game, try to play quick penalties, to weigh around the 9, to carry the ball. In the first half, we played a little in front of the defense. And against such a strong, strong team and with such weather, it's complicated to score.
After the break, you notably found progress around the rucks, with some very sharp runs. Was this the strategic objective?
Yes, clearly. There was some extremely positive action in the first half after a scrum, where we managed to play two or three times with the forwards. It's true that we had the feeling of quickly getting the ball out for our three-quarter and our opponents were closing down. Obviously, the conditions favored them. We had the feeling of being in the match, but without really concretizing our positive actions. That was the halftime speech. We wanted to stay the course and do everything to win the match. Because, even if some people talk about the offensive bonus point not taken, the only important thing today was the victory.
From the outside, we can't help but admire the Toulouse youth, still remarkable against Montpellier. How do you experience it?
I'm not going to be choosy, but people often talk about team 1, 2 or 3. When you look, Rodrigue Neti is a starter almost all year with Cyril Baille. Richie Arnold is international, like Pita Ahki. Paul Graou plays all the matches. Juanchi Mallia plays every match too. Blair Kinghorn is a Scottish international, Jack Willis an English international. Many think we have a young team but the first thing is that we have quality and experienced players who are there to help everyone. The second is that the way the club operates allows all these young people to be used to training and playing with us. They have been calibrated, since they were 14 or 15 years old, to win. When they arrive with us, it's normal for them, they adapt very quickly. On paper, we might look younger in terms of experience without all the internationals. But over the last two years, what has allowed us to win titles at the end of the season is these periods. Some have two, three, maybe sometimes four years of understudy experience. So above all we saw a team full of quality. And against a big team, in a rugby that is not necessarily ours, we managed to show strength of character. This is extremely positive for the future.
After a hamstring injury which took you away from the field for a few weeks, in what state of mind did you return to competition?
Already, I am very happy to have found the group again. It hasn't been a very long absence, but it's always very pleasant to be back in the stadium, the atmosphere, the friends on the pitch. Even if it's true that at the end, I think I was a little in the red (laughing). But I hung on for 80 minutes. And what's more, in a position where I'm not necessarily always used to playing. But I think that as the weeks progress, I will feel better on the pitch.
-In fact, you played the last twenty-five minutes in the second row, a position where you could be required to play in the French team with the injury to Thibaud Flament. How did you feel?
In a very hectic match where there was not necessarily a lot of rhythm, we will say that my only task in this number 4 position, in the minutes that I had, was the scrum. It's not something I'm used to doing, but it's not something I feel bad about either. I tried to bring as much as possible, in a sector where there was plenty of action, where Montpellier was still quite dominant. But there you go, I felt good. And once again, to help the team, I do it without problem. In addition, we didn't have a second line of training on the bench, so I got into it with great pleasure.
Are you ready to continue with the Blues if necessary?
Yes, a lot of people talk about it. But, honestly, I have no news, apart from what is in the media or what I saw on Rugbyrama. I have no further news regarding a possible position in the coming weeks.
But you obviously have the ambition to join the French group…
Yes, clearly. Once again, I had contact with the French team and in particular the staff. But afterwards, I have not had any recent news regarding the summons. My convalescence did not allow me, I think, to be able to apply in the first week. But I hope I can join my friends very quickly.
On the other hand, do you have the feeling of the work accomplished with Toulouse before, possibly, leaving for Marcoussis?
Yes, generally speaking, I take it very positively. We know how long our seasons are. This little injury also did me good. On mental freshness, the possibility of working on bodybuilding, physical preparation, rugby, on things that we don't have all the time to work on. In a season where things come one after the other, where our schedules are very calibrated, we don't have time to do everything. There was a week when the guys went to South Africa, and the facilities were only available to three to four players. It was pretty cool.
