In Rueil-Malmaison
“We made a decision (that of depriving ourselves of Danty, hit in the hamstrings, editor’s note). There will be four group matches and this team will move during the competition. We are a group of 33 players, we can’t just stop at 15 starters. The France team must know how to adapt. We have confidence in our pair of centers with Yoram (Moefana) and Gaël (Fickou), who have already played together. We trust Yoram. We worked on a lot of formulas and we adapt to the shape of the moment. This team is the best team in France at the moment.”
“We are going to face a first magnificent opponent. We are filled with joy at the idea of experiencing this competition. What could be better than New Zealand? She has not lost a match in the qualifying phase for the World Cup (31 successes, editor’s note). They are three times world champions (1987, 2011, 2015). We are so happy to face this team. This match is a celebration, a joy, a great happiness, it’s wonderful. This match against the New Zealanders is a challenge in all areas of rugby. There is an invisible force that must be born in these moments. We are going to go to the reveal of being a team that loves each other very much. We’ll see him on Friday.”
“We have trained to deal with this. This is work that we have done since the beginning of our mandate, namely managing the emotional side of events. We have prepared ourselves to be the best we can in this area. But it is not only this aspect, there are also the tactics, the strategy, the technique which must lead us to victory. (…) We will be locked up during the opening ceremony (in the corridors of the Stade de France, Editor’s note), it will be something simple to manage. World Rugby (the international federation) gave us 23 minutes to prepare. We will arrive 90 minutes before kick-off. Already, during this summer’s match against Australia, we were able to do a rehearsal: we warmed up in 22 minutes. But our watchword is to play. The point is there: have fun and love yourself very much! We are very light, very happy to play this game and to start this competition.
“They will challenge us in all areas of performance, both individual and collective, on strategy, emotional performance, as well as on this data that we sometimes perceive a little less: the relationships between the players, the party, the “love between them, the desire not to let go of each other, to be the first support of your partner…”
“It’s a choice (5 forwards and 3 backs) that we made in relation to the form of the moment and the balance of our team. We had to distribute the strength and power of our “finishers” (substitutes) with a profile of complementary players. We want to bring energy at the right time if the scenario goes in an ideal way during the meeting. (…) Dorian (Aldegheri, the substitute right pillar) is there because he deserves it, he has had an extraordinary path. He came to get the jersey. It is really, in our eyes, a choice of form and strategy of the moment. Thereafter, the four matches will be prepared in a different strategic way.”