Flying half of the La Rochelle team which beat Union Bordeaux-Bègles (32-22) on Sunday evening at the end of the 7th day of Top 14, Antoine Hastoy is satisfied with the response given a week after the non- match against Bayonne.
There was a certain tension before this clash on the La Rochelle side, do you think you have partly evacuated it with this success?
It’s been a long week but that’s normal and we wanted to make up for it. We had a very good first half, so we are satisfied with the result. The start of the second half is complicated, we could have killed them and made the match much easier but, at least, we have the victory, we are starting on a positive note and that is the main thing.
How do you explain this start of the second half and these two tries conceded quickly? The extra soul of the UBB, reduced to 14? A relaxation on your part?
I think it’s more our fault. We also foiled, with camp outings that were not very good and left us in trouble. There may have been some balls to play with, since there were one less, which we didn’t use. Afterwards, of course, they reacted. They had a 7-1 bench. But we had to do better.
Unlike the match against Toulon (1era day), the fact of choosing the key rather than the points made you smile. Is this proof that we must also insist on this type of thing?
Of course. There, we felt strong. We had things to evacuate too and we were full of energy. It smiles on us, it’s positive. We will have to see in the next matches what we do.
Jostled last week by their manager Ronan O’Gara after the rout in Bayonne, the Rochelais responded in the best way this Sunday evening, on the field. Logical victory against the Bordelais!
The match film > https://t.co/j46NSIjP7W pic.twitter.com/mW3lluhu20
— RUGBYRAMA (@RugbyramaFR)
The UBB fire attack has been talked about a lot since the start of the season. With two new three-quarter doubles (Thomas, Dulin), you too bring the ball to life…
They have a very good attack, you have to accept it, they have very good players. But, for us, I think that since the start of the year – except last week – we have still shown good things, good intentions and we are rather organized. It’s not perfect but in any case the intentions are there.
After the misstep against Bayonne, La Rochelle is back in the top three. The balance sheet is good, right?
But, in fact, it’s not so much the results that hurt. It’s more the content of the previous match that put a little stop to everyone. That’s why we had a long week. We cannot afford, being Stade Rochelais, to put out a performance like that in Bayonne. We can’t take so many points, so many tries, score so few and see a lack of commitment like that… On an accounting level? Yes, it’s good, we win five games out of seven.
Are you going to talk about the match in San Sebastian again to prepare for the trip to Montpellier on Saturday?
No, no! Maybe “ROG” (Ronan O’Gara, the manager, Editor’s note) will use it to motivate even more but we won’t see any images again. We’ve seen enough. And it hurts enough as it is. But we can’t forget. Especially since we’re traveling next weekend.
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