Lucas Gandin, center of Gratentour Rugby XIII, looks back on the big 58-6 victory against Toulouse Jules-Julien XIII in the Coupe de France.
Last Sunday, we played the 16th final of the Coupe de France in Struxiano against Toulouse Jules-Julien. It was not a match to be taken lightly, because we knew the qualities of this Toulouse team (with a few former Ramonville players and a few players who have passed through our country). Without forgetting the fact that it was a derby and that inevitably brought a special flavor to the meeting.
On an individual level, I think I had a clean match in defense and I was able to open the try counter with a good offensive action, so I’m quite happy with myself. The big downside is my card at the end of the match.
In terms of the team’s collective performance, despite the number of significant absentees, we had a very good match. We’re on three wins in a row and it’s been a long time since we’ve seen that at Gratentour! We have a group that is progressing collectively and it shows throughout the meetings. We promised ourselves not to take any tries in the second half and we did it. Which proves that we were as solid in defense as we were effective in attack. The new recruits bring a lot to the team, whether humanly or rugby-wise. The coaches do a good job and we have fun playing together. This is a good sign for the matches to come.
We ate our black bread for 3 seasons, it’s good to see where the senior group is today. It is the fruit of important work; as much from the leaders, volunteers, coaches and players.
Swiss
