“Erasing the accumulated frustration against Uruguay”

Mary Alice, what did you think of the opening World Cup match between France and the All Blacks?

“I focused a lot on the result. In the World Cup, in the first game in Paris, with the pressure that was on the team, the players were tied down by it all. And it showed in the first half. But to score 30 points against the New Zealanders is magical. This first period against The Blacks are not complete. Because they are not playing. They do not have a lot of balls, and in defense they are not as aggressive as usual. And the New Zealanders are picking them off cold. Secondly, Fabien Galthie’s speech had its effect. After he talked about it with some of the players, he told them that losing the match could happen, but Not that way. We saw the difference when this team was able to have the ball and do things with it. But even if the content wasn’t perfect, I remember the result. Because I’m one of those who think that being world champions by just one point and an ugly game is a good thing »

What about the match against Uruguay?

“For the match against Uruguay, it is a special match. Because we saw another XV from France. Even if they prepared together, and even if these players were able to replace the starting players during the match, we almost had only starting players. They do not have the same mechanisms. It was a bit slow, and it wasn’t necessarily pretty. Personally, I was afraid of that period. I wasn’t afraid of the first match, because the players had been preparing for this match for years. After this match against New Zealand, I knew that we would be playing teams with final goals. “It becomes more difficult. You have to manage these periods, it is not easy. It was confirmed against Uruguay. For players who do not play much during the World Cup, a lot of emotions can be mixed when they have to be on the field. They may have a tendency to exaggerate. »

In this match against Namibia, the executives are back in the starting lineup, in your opinion, is this a punishment from the coaching staff for those who played against Uruguay or a way to bring the rhythm back to the team executives?

“When we are in the World Cup, we are no longer punished. A coach will not put his players at the bottom of the bucket when he can bring them back at any time. There he is in management. If he does not bring back some executives’ play against Namibia, those players will not play again for one month.” “It is impossible before going to challenge Italy. And behind that will be the quarter-finals. For me, this formation makes perfect sense. Of course, if they get the job done in the first half, there will be changes quickly. The goal is to make them regain spontaneity, fun and confidence. »

This match against Namibia, who appear to be the weaker opponent in the group, has fairly high importance for the rest of the competition.

“Yes, for trust capital. Because we have not stored all of this capital in Uruguay. It’s a way to erase the frustration built up during this second match. I’ve been to Namibia matches, and this team will be an eye-catcher. In the first half of the match, this team is physical and aggressive in defence. So yes, this match is important to restore the important backbone that needs to play, win, enjoy and regain enthusiasm. »

What do you want to see from this French XV in this third match?

He added: “The ideal thing is to find the balance that they did not have against Uruguay. Not to confuse speed with haste, to calm the game down, to make it smoother and smoother. Let us carry our status as one of the best countries in the world against one of the least visible. Just confirmation that everything is right.” Okay. “

During this World Cup, which team left the biggest impression on you?

“Fiji. If we leave out the big favorites. South Africa is on their record, and Ireland has been very strong. It’s one of the countries that scares me. But in terms of impressions, I would say Fijians. They are a nation on the rise and have had an exceptional season, winning the Pacific Nations Championship and beating England at Twickenham. In this World Cup, it narrowly missed out on beating Wales before beating Australia. And against the Wallabies, she really mastered her subject. In this match, they could have beaten many other top countries. But the team I fear the most is Ireland. They are very strong and used to playing together, half the players come from Leinster. The team is very complete. »

How far do you see this French XV going in this World Cup?

“I want and see them going to the end. After the match against the black team, which was not completely successful but with a strong character, I told myself that we are capable of going to the end. We can handle the physical challenge, we are capable of doing great things, we have kicks, etc. »