For the first time this season, you are coming out of a work week without a match, does that feel good?
Yes and no, because we would have liked to play in these Champions Cup semi-finals (smile). But hey, it allows us to continue working for the upcoming deadlines, and in particular this match in Bordeaux this weekend. I hope that these three days (from Wednesday May 1 to Friday May 3, Editor’s note) will be beneficial. The result of all this will be Saturday evening, we will see if it served us or not.
Before that, your last match, against Toulon (27-17) had been rather complicated…
Yes, it was difficult, but we managed to meet the challenge. This is what we needed after our failure in the Champions Cup, to move forward. I think this match has served us quite well already. Not in terms of rugby but of solidarity and on a human level.
You had started a new physical cycle just before, is the group regaining energy before the last four matches of the regular season?
It’s true that it was a little tricky against Toulon because we started with a new protocol, with a little harder work. We know very well what our qualities and our faults are, this season we had a lot of difficulties in traveling, which meant that we had difficulty putting our game in place, playing the rugby that we know play. I think this work bodes well for the future.
Have you integrated this new protocol?
We’re still in it (laughs). The three days of last week were a bit hard, having a weekend was good for morale.
“If we want the end of the season to depend on us, we absolutely have to win in Bordeaux”
After Toulon, you face UBB, another candidate for the top 6…
These are two different contexts and, beyond that, we have to win if we want to dream of playing in the finals this year. Bordeaux is having a very good season and playing very well rugby, it’s an interesting challenge for us, which can allow us to validate the success against Toulon. I think we have progressed in recent weeks, following the slap against Leinster (40-13, Editor’s note), we have a goal which is the Brennus, we will work to go as far as possible.
Going to Bordeaux is a trip that your supporters really like, what do you expect at Chaban?
What we are used to at Deflandre or during all our travels (smile), we always have a lot of support. There is this battle to validate the final phases, but we also want to make our supporters and our families proud. Today, it’s important that they are there with us, and that we give back to them by winning. We know all the qualities of UBB, we see them like everyone else, especially on counter-attacking balls where they perform very well. Unfortunately, we don’t know before a match if we can deprive her of all these balls, but the fewer there are, the less danger there will be.
The Bordelo-Béglais rely in particular on very effective counter-rucks, which was the case in November, at Marcel-Deflandre. Have you worked in this sector?
We reviewed the footage this morning, and there are two times where I am involved (laughs). So yes, we also analyzed that. There is notably a penalty in front of the posts and three gift points on an outing from the camp on our part. It’s a complete team, we will have to be vigilant at all times. We recently saw Matthieu (Jalibert) hit far in front, we imagine that the ball will go out but Damian (Penaud) arrives and will score… We have to go to the end because they are going there […] There is no doubt that this is a decisive match. If we want the end of the season to depend on us, we absolutely have to win in Bordeaux. Otherwise, we will have to wait for the other results, while things are pushing hard behind.
Did you watch the Champions Cup semi-finals?
I was at the wedding (smile)… And there was obviously this disappointment of seeing the others playing and performing well. It’s high-level sport, you can’t always win. Today, we are lucky to have something else to win, the season is not over.
UBB 3rd/58 pts – La Rochelle 5th/56th pts
Place Bordeaux (Chaban-Delmas stadium) Hourly Saturday, at 9:05 p.m. Referees M. Raynal (Occitanie) TV Live on Canal+ Internet Live on sudouest.fr First leg 25-21
The absents : Boudehent (ischios), Dillane and Dulin (knee), Iribaren (hand), Kerr-Barlow (concussion), Bourgarit and Wardi (recovery).
