The Montalbanese coach has only granted himself three days of vacation. David Gérard was eager to find his group to prepare for this derby against Colomiers, Friday night in Sapiac.
It was David Gérard in person who presented himself, this Wednesday noon in Sapiac, at the first press briefing of the year 2022. The Var coach of the USM is fully focused on the meeting of Friday evening, with this derby return against Colomiers which will be expensive in terms of qualification. In the first leg, the Columérins had largely won (41-14).
David, has the truce done you any good?
Personally, it went very quickly because I only took three days off, after which I had a lot of work. And even during the three days off, I couldn’t really think of anything other than rugby, as I went to Toulon to see my family with my daughter. Very quickly, I couldn’t wait to come back. I missed seeing the sulky people and the moaners in the morning. Casually, it was good for everyone to get together. We will therefore try to refocus on the essential. This involves trying to find each other and prepare as well as possible for the rest of the championship.
What is your take on the first part of the season?
At the start of the season, I told myself that with the team format we had and what we were producing, I couldn’t wait for winter to arrive because we are a dense, solid and strong team. The last block, in the middle of winter, was terrible, we had trouble doing the compositions because we were always just in time. When one player came back from injury, another came out. It had a lot of impact on the training sessions, and the competition between the players. However, that cannot take away our position in the standings and counting what we have marked from the start. I don’t think anyone would have seen us in the top six. I think it’s a great first part of the season. She taught us a lot about ourselves anyway.
Is there a little satisfaction in being in the three teams that are still undefeated at home?
We will say that it is important in this Pro D2 to be undefeated in your stadium. Of course, that is one of the things that we have sanctified a bit because it is part of the DNA of the Montalbanais to protect Sapiac. We must therefore continue to do so. But a rugby team is not only forged at home but also outside. We know that big clients will come to us. And it starts tomorrow in this derby, quite complex to understand.
Do you feel that the players stayed as focused as you did during this vacation?
I don’t want to compare them to what I’m inflicting on myself. There are players who love rugby a lot and can’t help it, and others who love rugby but manage to cut. I think this match against Colomiers will be the start of an intense race. However, I don’t ask them to be like me, to inflict the same suffering as I do, so much I love this sport. After Aurillac when I was showering, I was already thinking about what strategy we were going to put in place for tomorrow. It hurts me, I would like to leave myself alone. Tomorrow, we will not play against just anyone. We will need freshness and a lot of enthusiasm and desire. When we forget that, we become a lambda team. However, I want us to be a team that defends its territory.
Can you give us a quick update on the infirmary?
We won’t have 20 absences this weekend (laughs). However, we still have 13. We can count the returns of Paulino, Delord, Agnesi but also Tupuola who will do us good behind.
Cases of Covid in Colomiers
According to France Bleu Occitanie, two players from the professional group of US Colomiers as well as a player evolving with the hopes, have tested positive for Covid-19. Like all the teams in the championship, Colomiers had to be tested after the 15 days of vacation, the winter break. However, this does not call into question the holding of this meeting in Montauban according to Alain Carré, president of Colomiers.
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