2023-09-19 14:55:09
The coach explained this Tuesday noon at a press conference on his choice to recall his senior players against Namibia this Thursday (9 p.m.) in Marseille. A decision not linked, according to him, to the poor performance of the understudies last Thursday against Uruguay (27-12 victory), itself following a brilliant success of the usual holders against New Zealand (27-13), on September 8 during the opening of the competition at the Stade de France. Fabien Galthié also returned to Grégory Alldritt’s package and the importance of Cyril Baille and Jonathan Danty, returning from injuries.
Cyril Baille and Jonathan Danty starting, Grégory Alldritt injured in one knee
“During yesterday’s training, Grégory felt a little discomfort in one knee. He was spared. We made the decision, with him, to treat him properly so that he is 100% when he plays. Cyril Baille and Jonathan Danty have been regular starters for four years. They have been in all the battles, the Six Nations Tournaments and in particular the Grand Slam (2022). They were there almost all the time during the tours in France, it’s a little different abroad because there is a rotation of the squad. They are very important players in their position, with great experience. »
Why the executives were recalled
“We hear a lot of debate around team compositions. We build our teams by the week. There are no long-term forecasts for the competition. We have a vision of the preparation and rotations. We monitor playing times. We look at performances, we work on emulation because we need everyone. We had an idea about the start of the competition. This match against the All Blacks was clearly identified. We fielded our best team at the moment. It was a success for the whole group, not just the players lined up. Uruguay arrived six days later. We had to recover. In a seven-day week, the players know if they are starting on the second day and we officially tell them on the third day because we need to work.
After the match against Uruguay, we had seven days with the possibility of returning those who had been aligned against the All Blacks, with a few modifications, such as the withdrawal of Grégory Alldritt. There is no reaction to Uruguay or change of direction. Our method is based on adaptability. We could quote Charles Darwin (the British naturalist who wrote the theory of evolution in the 19th century): it is not the strongest who survive but those who adapt. »
The expected fervor at the Vélodrome stadium
“I love the Vélodrome. I’m a fan. I don’t have any bad memories. I played the All Blacks, Australia, South Africa, the Top 14 semi-final won with Montpellier against Racing (2011). In 2000, we faced the All Blacks and we had never played at the Vélodrome. We were staying in Aix-en-Provence. We arrive in Marseille and we get lost. The bus cannot find the stadium.
We reached him only half an hour before and we made a mistake, we ended up in a Société Générale reception. Finally, we entered the dressing room a quarter of an hour before kick-off. We had an idea to finish warming up. The public being very close to the touchline at the time, we walked around the pitch very slowly. There was such fervor. When we got back to the locker room, we were hot. After a quarter of an hour of play, we were leading 17-0 (final victory 42-33)…”
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