Just look at the head of the Argentinian winger of Racing 92, Juan Imhoff, when he lets go at the microphone of Canal + in the wake of the rout having “never experienced something like that”. Swept away this Saturday, December 24 at Paris La Défense Arena by Stade Français (10-48) with the biggest gap in the history of this derby in the Top 14, the Racingmen chained the slaps after the fiasco of their debut in the Coupe d’ Europe. If their manager Laurent Travers did not hesitate to mention his “shame”, he did not want to completely darken the picture.
We did not recognize Racing 92 in this derby…
LAURENT TRAVERS. I think that many of us have not recognized it, but it has been three weeks since we have been recognized. Now, we must not run away, and face this situation. We weren’t the best in the world when we won five games in a row in the Top 14 before this loss, although some may have thought so. There, these three defeats give us a breath of fresh air, a shot of doubt. Against the Stade Français, we were not invited in all areas. Among the forwards, among the three-quarters, there is not a sector where we competed. Now we have 13 league games left, we have to be in the reaction.
Your player Juan Imhoff was talking about shame, do you join him?
Of course there is shame. For me, it’s shameful when you take fifty points. The conclusion is there. Yes, there is shame. Yes, there is humiliation.
When have you seen your team lose track?
The whole game. From the first period, we are in our camp, we lose the collisions, we lose the duels, etc. We face up, but hey, we feel that it’s complicated, especially as they become euphoric.
Did you feel that your team was exposed to this kind of match?
In your opinion ? You think I smelled it this week? But if that was the case, I would have done something right? I had a cold then, so I didn’t feel it.
You bring in Cameron Woki in the second half, who misses a try point and takes a yellow card…
(He cuts) When things go wrong, we’re all in the same boat. I am the first responsible for that, and I assume. If I have something to say in my locker room to my players, you won’t be the first to know. There, the responsibility is for everyone.
“We sang before, and now we are disillusioned”
How much does this defeat hurt?
Yes, I repeat, there is humiliation. But we must not forget everything. We are third in this championship, which means that others are in more delicate situations. We will assume and face up, but we must not have memory. We sang before, and now we are disillusioned.