Derby Lourdes – Bagnères: “We will keep this defeat in mind for the return match”, reactions after Lourdes’ victory against Bagnères

Christophe Dulong (Lourdes coach): “The big satisfaction is that we didn't give up, we raised our heads even if we were behind. We managed to find solutions so as not to be too overwhelmed at the back, given that we were playing with one less. At half-time, I told them that we were dominating the lineout and the scrum and that we had to press on and that it would eventually pass. What's good is the courage we showed. We beat a great club, a great team in front of thousands of spectators. We won the derby of course, but above all we beat a team undefeated since the start of the season, that shows the feat we achieved. It's a victory that will remain engraved because it's a special victory given the scenario. But it's not just the victory of the 23 players on the sheet, it's the victory of an entire club. »

Clément Darbo (fly half and captain of Lourdes): “It’s the magic of a derby. We knew that Bagnères was a very good team. It was a complicated match for us, I don't really know if there was a good game, but it was complicated given our start to the match where we suffered against a Bagnères team who started better than us . In the second half, we knew we were going to have to surpass ourselves. We didn't produce a great game, but we found ourselves in the fight. It made us smile and that’s so much the better. It was a great rugby celebration. »

Jérémy Loncan (Lourdes hooker): “It got off to a bad start with the red card in the tenth minute even though at first I thought it was a yellow card. This is the factor that made us tighten up, perhaps if we had not taken this card, we would not have won. I think it woke us up. We composed as best we could. We played a good game in front even if we weren't the strongest in the group. It was hard to follow this match from the bench, it was a stressful match. We're getting our heads out of the water with a derby, it's a great evening. »

Tom Seité (trainer of Bagnères-de-Bigorre): “We completely missed our second half both in terms of conquest and in terms of discipline. We'll have to look at this again with a cool head, but one thing is certain, it's that we don't have the right to get caught in every scrum, to concede so many penalties. It's not possible to win a match with all this indiscipline, let alone a derby. There is frustration because we feel like we didn't kill the match when it was possible. We controlled the match and yet we did not leave with victory. It is not normal not to capitalize on such domination. On the bench, I felt the players were really confident, I regret that we gave the stick to get beaten. We must recognize that the Lourdais had a great match, they deserve their victory, they were waiting for us with the knife between their teeth. »

Olivier Pujo (hooker and captain of Stade Bagnérais): “We didn't know how to win, we lacked control. We are a little disappointed this evening because while respecting the Lourdais we came to win. We knew very well that it would be complicated, we are disappointed because given the nature of the match there was room I think. We had a good first half but we didn't achieve enough despite everything, we were in the scoring zone and we couldn't kill the match. Afterwards we knew very well that it would be complicated, given the context. It's not serious, not dramatic, it's a small setback, but we lack control, it's frustrating, disappointing. We can congratulate the Lourdais, they always believed in it, and we knew very well that even at 14 we had to stay focused and press, but we didn't capitalize enough on our opportunities. »

Quentin Gayri (third line of Bagnères-de-Bigorre): “There is no disappointment because we do not deserve to win this match. We came across a team who had prepared their match well, who had planned how to counter us in the conquest. They were more present than us in the fundamentals. Being so lacking in fundamentals, we couldn't hope to win. There were a lot of cards so it was difficult to find rhythm, they managed to confine us to a forward game since they were one less behind. Strategically, they were better than us. Rehashing things won't move us forward. It's one of the matches that we have no right to lose, it will serve as a lesson for us, there will be a return match and the lesson of desire that they gave us today, we will take to heart to return to them when they come to Cazenave. So we will keep this defeat in mind for the return match. »