Why is nothing happening

«I’m not worried…»« There is no fire…In the Maritimes, the letter is confident. Don’t panic, a bright tomorrow is coming soon. In the meantime, the results were negative and nothing to worry about. At the end of the fourth defeat (in five days) on Saturday in Montpellier, Gregory Aldret gathered his teammates on the lawn to talk to them for a long time. And perhaps not from the past, which must necessarily be forgotten. The two finals, the Top 14 and the Champions Cup, made Stade Rochelais an intimidating team and a serious front-runner. Four months later, that good reputation was already damaged by the four defeats against Toulouse (16-20), Racing (23-10), Claremont (23-22) and Montpellier (21-11). The setbacks were in no way mitigated by the big win over the B-team from Biarritz (59-17). The most problematic is undoubtedly the evolution of services. Frustrated, annoying, then downright failure against MHR. Password is not panic. But, between the lines, some inconveniences, and even a signal of concern, began to appear.

Coming from the cloud

Ronan O’Gara himself demands it. “Two finals, it’s great for some but it’s the past. We must forget these finals, our team is different, the season is different.The viewpoint of the opponents at Rochelle is different. “We have to stop thinking that by being the French Vice-Champions and the European Vice-Champions, the opposite players will leave us alone. We are well received. So, it’s up to us», the tricolor column mentions Uini Atonio. Which indicates, as a corollary, a lack of commitment. Less significant desire to harm yourself. As if this new situation had improved from last year’s spirit. “These direct tests against Biarritz, that’s not us. He doesn’t look like us. We didn’t let things like this happen last season…»

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« Last season, it’s over, said Romain Carmenani, the attacking assistant coach. We are fine in 2021-2022. We have to keep it in mind. There are new players, the season has been short, there is no excuse but there are adjustments to be made.These memories of a successful season, despite the two failures in the final, of frequent dominance, especially up front, confuse the mind. Feed a little sufficiency. Against Toulouse and Racing, Rochelle mistook pride. Refuse to attempt easy penalties when playing penalty shootouts. disinfected. The penetrating groups, which were the power of the Navy a few months ago, are no longer effective. A little more design at home, more decoding on the opponent’s side, in the end, easy points that fly away.

Find the right speech

Last season, Ronan O’Gara was already the head coach, but actually No. 2 was under the responsibility of rugby manager Juno Gibbs, who left for Claremont over the summer. Hence, the previous XV opener in Ireland is now the big leader. With a discourse considered authoritarian, it does not seem to bear fruit. Like the indignation that was openly shown by a prostitute, Pierre Bourget, shortly after the break, after another missing touch. A gesture of mood, fed up did not go unnoticed. However, one should not draw hasty conclusions, according to Ronan O’Gara. “Not to worry, the Irish manager confirms, and appears to be a follower of the Coué method. It disappoints the fans and families who love this club. But we saw that when we increased the tempo and pace in the match, the chances were there…»

To compare with the words of strikers coach Roman Carmenani. “We create a lot of situations in training, and we rehearse them until they become automatic.But blunders, more frequent than last season, often reduce all that work to nothing. “ If we recorded these attempts, we wouldn’t even talk about this situation Oweny Atonyo sighs. But that’s the problem. Stade Rochelais scores a few tries, and the offensive orgy against the Biarritz B team masks this lack of realism. “this is the beginning. We only changed five or six players but it’s still a new team. The team is built in the first part of the season“Saeed Aini Atonio.

Bring the game back to a plumb level

The little sentence made you jump. “Get ready for a week and play that way… No, that’s not the point. Perhaps now is the time to think about what we are going to do.“In Hollow, Ronan O’Gara asserts that it is not that side of the game. It must be said that the ingredients are not necessarily put in either. In Montpellier, it was also clear.”We will make videos to understand what is the problem and what is the problem‘, wobble very angry O’Gara. His third streak, Remy Bordeaux, did not deny this observation. “We got engaged. noise? We will have to do more to avoid this being a 50-50 decision. We also had difficulties in winning, which has not happened to us since the beginning of the season. And maybe we don’t respect our game plan enough…Three cumulative results in a bad game. And to add:We know what we are capable of, but it is true that we will have to get things right ASAP so we can rest assured and take the points.»

We will note the point of denial again: the Rochelles know what they are capable of…but it is not enough to say that. Before confronting and beating Biarritz, Kevin Gordon had already given this rather informal speech. “We are three losses, but when we look at the content, we are far from being on the street, then the third line is assured. . I’d rather have major sectors to work on than have everything to build. I am quite confident. “How long will the Rochelle family be like that?

The last point, and not the least disturbing, Stade Rochelais struggles to find his master to play with. New Zealander Ihiya West, who missed last season’s finals, is still borrowed and limited. The leaders wanted to give it up, before extending it for one season to not find a replacement… Jules Bleeson doesn’t do much better. Inaccuracy in facing poles, not always well inspiring with the ball in hand, and not flawless in defense… It won’t be kept at the end of the season (and at the end of the decade) either. It is rumored that the Japanese yen may attract him. In short, two 10 is anything but indisputable. On Saturday, in Montpellier, Maritimes staff moved Vannes’ apprentice Pierre Popelin from behind at the opening. A DIY game will not be enough to change the game of La Rochelle.