In Marcoussis
The Crunch, always a special match “It’s special for everyone. Every year, it’s always a big match for the France team. You have to prepare it well this week. We have to be very focused, we have to be fully focused.”
Easier preparation after a great victory? “Of course. In addition, a match against the English is looming. Crunches are always big matches. In full stadiums. It feels good to prepare for these kinds of matches, even if the weather is a little sad here (smile). But the group gets along well, there are always smiles. This is a good thing.”
His last Crunch with the Blues? “You want this to be my last, right? (smile) I have already explained it to you, I am here to support young people. If it’s the last one, it’s the last one, that’s the way it is… But if to go to Argentina (during the summer tour), they need right-handers… I’ll always be there. I am open to everything. If it’s the latter, I’m happy. If it’s not the last one, I’m happy too!”
His memory of the last England-France “I wasn’t there… I was in front of my TV, I had been suspended three weeks after the match against Ireland. But, for the group, it’s a match that everyone will remember for a very long time. Putting 50 points on the English at home is rare. The team played a complete match. It was borderline excessive… (smile)”
Objective second place? “The objective of all teams is to finish first. Our first objective will be to win this last match. We’ll do the math at the end. We play every match to win it.
An increasingly homogeneous Tournament “When we see what the Italians are doing, the English who beat the Irish, the Scots who were in the race to make the Grand Slam… The level rises every year. So much the better for the Tournament. Every weekend, it’s a hell of a challenge.”
Playing right with Meafou“It’s a monster! He’s 2.03m tall! It’s easier with him to push in scrums and move forward. He’s a very good player and he’s still young. He has the future ahead of him. He is not at his full capacity. In two or three years, it will run over everyone. He’s a complete player, he likes to carry the ball. And in the static phases, it hurts.”
Forwards found against the Welsh “If we didn’t move forward, there would be a problem… If we put such a strong forward pack, it’s to do that. We know that we are a little heavier than the others, we have to carry it on the pitch, whether in scrum, on carried balls, in defense. We have to gain meters and put our hinge in a chair. That’s our job.”
George-Henri Colombe, the next generation “We complement each other. We get along well on and off the field. He deserves what happens to him. He is still young, he still has time. He will continue to move towards this small margin which he still lacks. I’m very happy that he’s with us, I hope it continues for him.”