The English coach is however positive on the game offered by his team, despite the defeat: “The Coupe de France is a bit like the play-offs: you play to stay alive. There was some disappointment but now if you look at the content and process that we have set out for long term, there have been some positives. The youngsters who played did the work. It bodes well. This quarter-final also served as preparation for this Friday’s match against the Ducs d’Angers, one of the champions of the league. The Angevins are neither more nor less than last season’s Magnus League finalists and outgoing winners of the Coupe de France. Mario Richer’s men also qualified for the final round of the Continental Cup (European Cup), from 13 to 15 January.
To the rebirth
It is therefore a big shot that arrives, this Friday evening, at the bars. Facing the dukes, the Basques will have to restart the machine after two defeats in a row in the league, including a very frustrating final against Cergy last Sunday (2-3, ap). To bring down this Angevin team, Anglet will have to be more efficient in his special teams and adjust his sights in powerplay. The Basque club has the second worst success rate in the league in this important exercise: “There are cycles there too. We try not to add too much on this lest it get too much into people’s heads. The return of some players will help, but let’s avoid disturbing the group with that,” says Pierrick Rézard.
Ditto in the other area, the Angloy defensive box will have to be better outnumbered to counter the Angevin powerplay, king of this exercise in the Magnus League, with almost 34% efficiency. The English staff will thus count on the return of Olivier Dame-Malka and Mathieu Pons in defence. Despite breaking his double index finger on Monday, the latter will play with a brace.
