Despite a very good 3rd place in the group, Frédéric Garcia, the director of the UBB training center, gives a mixed assessment of this first part of the season: “We are finishing 2024 well by beating two very solid teams, Racing 92 at home and La Rochelle at home in two very good matches. We managed to move the ball and above all to be realistic in our highlights, while resisting well at the end of the match. But I still have in my throat the two failed trips, to Bayonne and Agen, for which we were not at the expected level. Not to mention the defeat at Moga against Toulouse. »
The UBB hopefuls won six matches and only lost two, resulting in a draw. With 30 points, they took advantage of 4th, Brive (20 points), and 5th, Racing (19 points). Above all, they tickle the second in the group, La Rochelle, which is only 5 points ahead. Frédéric Garcia is above all wary of these restart matches after break periods. This is why he did not hesitate to schedule training on January 2 to benefit from a full week of match preparation.
“The truce was important because it allowed the players to regenerate,” he explains. They have been on deck since July and you have to know how to cut to last a whole season! » However, he clearly identified that his team’s performances often suffered from a lack of rhythm when the matches did not follow one another. There will still be some in this championship with a calendar that looks like Swiss cheese.
-Mistrust
“This is why we are going to schedule one or two friendly matches during the breaks. I expect the players to take good care of this restart match in Pau so as not to repeat their mistakes, for example as in Agen. I am very wary of people from Palois who blow hot and cold. They can beat any team when they are in good shape and need to win! »
The match
Pau (8th/14 pts) – Bordeaux-Bègles (3rd/30 pts), this Saturday at 3 p.m.
