The head coach of the CO, Pierre-Henry Broncan, feels his group “worried” about the match against Pau, this Sunday (3pm). He, his staff and his players hope to fight back and forget the debacle in La Rochelle.
After this defeat in La Rochelle (7-53), how did the group digest the result?
He is aware that his performance has not been up to par. We were punished by an excellent team from Stade Rochelais. It is difficult to draw any positive lessons from this score. However, it is still possible to find them. If only on the physical quality of the team that managed to create many more chances at the end of the game. Even if we weren’t efficient enough since we only crossed the finish line once. And then, we come back from Charente-Maritime with zero injuries. So you can tell me that given the commitment, it wasn’t complicated. But our defeat is not due to commitment, rather to a lack of technical and tactical rigour. It cost us dearly in front of these Rochelais who punished us on turnovers, counter moves, interceptions at times. And it’s hard to accept.
Tomorrow against the Section Paloise we will have to make more appeal…
Like all Top 14 games. We will receive a team that has had a string of good performances lately. We know what to expect, we know the quality of this training. Les Pau has excellent players – like La Rochelle last Saturday – who shouldn’t be given any space. If you slack a little or make mistakes, you will quickly be punished. Today there are no small teams, all matches are difficult.
Don’t you feel that, against Pau, it’s a match in which there will be no room for error?
But that’s the case for every game, especially at home. However, this feeling is not the monopoly of Castres Olympique, everyone feels it. We know who we will play against and we will do everything to receive Pau well and make up for this bad game in La Rochelle. It’s that simple.
At home you still feel calmer before meetings.
It’s not quite that. Let’s say that we are oriented, even a certain security. But every game is different, you have to prepare well because, plus, we’re having a pretty long week with our match scheduled for Sunday. I think we are preparing well and I see all our players worried about Pau’s welcome.
The OC is not used to playing on Sundays. Has he changed anything in your routine?
We have adapted the training program. We have added a session on Wednesday morning, a day that is usually free for us. This means that we have moved the day off to Thursday, and then resumed this Friday and Saturday.
