“What match do you expect against Exeter?
We will play against a team that we know less but which is very dense, which has a lot of intensity, which is very difficult to stop once it has invaded the opposing camp. We will have to adapt.
What memory do you have of your 2020 defeat against this same opponent in the semi-finals of the Champions Cup (28-18)?
Not a very good one with the defeat, obviously. We were able to put them in difficulty at the start of the match, but we did not manage to score during our highlights. Then, Rory Arnold broke his arm, which meant that we lacked density in the forward pack. At the end of the match, they hurt us, I remember that the try of their number 10 sealed our defeat. We had not been able to question them sufficiently. We also learned from this match to come back and win the next edition (2021). You always have to learn something from a defeat. Losing in the semi-finals of a competition that was a high goal for us was a disappointment that we had to digest.
What did this Exeter team bring to rugby?
She brought something new to the offensive level, notably with Henry Slade in midfield who plays as a second fly-half and who reads defenses very well. They are capable of having good runs, good depth, good timing, like many English teams do, with a fairly stereotypical game but which is very well executed and therefore very hard to defend. We will also have to be able to compete on physical density, because it is a club which puts a lot of intensity at that level.
Is this Champions Cup the main quest of your season?
This is the main objective of this week, obviously, but next week it will be the Top 14. We have to juggle both competitions. In fact, this Champions Cup came at a good time in our season, last December. She brought us freshness, enthusiasm and it allowed the whole group to regain energy. We were coming off average results in the Championship and this competition launched our season. Since the first group matches, we still have better feelings. So obviously this event is a very big objective, but that doesn’t mean we will abandon the Championship.
“Our greatest quality is that we manage to keep the same bond between us”
Don’t the failures of the last two years in the semi-finals against Leinster also stick in your throat?
Yes, obviously. Especially last season, when we think back to the scenario, the state of form and the squad we had. It’s always a big disappointment to stop too early in a competition. But as with Exeter in 2020, we have to use this to grow and to be more efficient, more precise and consistent in the moments that count.
Do you feel the same pleasure in lifting a Champions Cup as a Brennus shield?
The shield is heavier, so it’s less obvious (smile). It’s different, but from there to choosing one or the other, it’s complicated. It’s such an immense joy. We know how difficult it is to win one or the other of the two events. We have had victories but also defeats, so we know both feelings. Even if we haven’t touched the European Cup for a while, we still want to lift another Brennus.
Does it change anything for you to start the match with Romain Ntamack in 10 rather than Thomas Ramos?
No, whether it’s one or the other, I know them very well. There is no difference at that level. Our greatest quality is that whatever the guy who plays and the position he is aligned in, we manage to keep the same bond between us.
Cyril Baille will play his 50th match in the Champions Cup against Exeter. What does this inspire you?
That experience, we know that you can’t buy it, that you have to experience the matches, experience situations with a lot of pressure and intensity to be able to better understand them the next time. Cyril, like the group, has more and more experience, 50 European Cup matches is not insignificant. It shows longevity, maintenance at the highest level. But knowing him, it’s more the number of cups than the number of matches that interests him in this competition. But once again, we are only in the quarter-finals against a very serious team from Exeter. We’re going to focus on that before thinking about what’s next. »
