“Three defeats in three days, zero points on the clock, how are you living this week before facing Castres on Saturday?
It’s a bit like a forty-eight hour week. We played outside on Sunday night (in Toulon) and we play again on Saturday at 3 p.m. It goes very quickly. We returned to Paris on Monday afternoon. The players were off Tuesday, there was just one meeting, and they will be off on Friday. We went straight to the point. The good news is we have fewer sick players (several players suffered from a virus last week).
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We imagine that the atmosphere is tense …
Obviously, we are tense. We will face a team that has not yet lost. But we don’t want to question everything either. I think we were honest with each other in the analysis. We’re not going to lie to each other either. Some people saw us more beautiful than we really were but we were not at the level we need in these first three matches. To sum up: we told each other the truths without throwing away everything that was done.
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“We know that a new defeat would create a very complicated situation for us”
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You have collected more than 35 points per game …
We knew that our calendar was tough with the derby against Racing to start and then two super hard trips (Bordeaux and Toulon). But it is true that we send back the image of a team which puts itself in danger almost on its own. I think we were very lucid in the analysis. We also know that a new defeat would create a very complicated situation for us.
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Last season you had a bad period before finishing strong. Can this help you today?
It is true that we have this experience of last year but also of the seasons before. I haven’t read everything because well, in my position it’s hard (to smile). But you are right to be harsh and critical. Our content is disappointing. But we must also be positive and tell ourselves that if we look at the accounting part, last season we also lost these three matches: lost the derby at home, lost in Bordeaux, lost in Toulon. And we qualified. The Top 14 is very tough but there are only three or four teams that can be consistent over a whole season.
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After your canonical end of season, one would have thought that you would benefit from this dynamic. Why did this effect not work?
It is true that we, at the Stade Français, we are strong when we are on a dynamic of confidence, when we express ourselves. We didn’t manage to ride it but last season, in the jump-off, we ended up taking the wave against Racing in the teeth. What is true is that our attack is less fluid than last year. Our attack was built around the ten and the twelve, or Joris (Seconds) and Leo (Barré) resumed late. And then, even if we tried to quickly integrate (Why) Laumape, it took longer than we thought. There are reasons in our preparation that explain things. Even if there is no shame in losing the three matches that we have lost, we cannot afford not to raise our level of performance by several notches.
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“The problem that we thought we had solved and which is not, is that we lose our footing very quickly as soon as we experience poor weather”
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Is there a problem of state of mind, of mood?
I do not think so. We had streaks in Bordeaux where we defended the line at fourteen which shows that the level of commitment is there. The number of balls carried that we defended without taking a test during these three matches is also a sign. The problem that we thought we had solved and which is not, is that we lose our footing very quickly as soon as we experience poor weather. We saw it in our last game.
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Do you feel personally in danger before this match against Castres?
Frankly, today no. I interact with the players, with the management and I don’t feel that way. It’s super dangerous for the coach to be distracted by this. “
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