A big hour after the victory, the coach finally appeared in front of the media. With restrained emotion. And a few big smiles that said a lot about his pride.
What is your reaction to this Grand Slam awaited for twelve years?
Fabien Galthié. Great. Very happy. There’s everything… We all crossed the pitch after the final whistle to share with our loved ones. It gives meaning to what we do to share with the people who follow us, our families. They support us and are happy for us. When you see their smiles, their emotions…
You don’t seem euphoric…
I feel a lot of joy. For now, I’m not doing backflips, but it will come. Everything in its time. There you have to remain serious to answer the questions (to smile).
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You lifted the trophy as captain in 2002. Is the feeling different this time around?
The difference is twenty years. A life, a long path that we do not expect. But there is no coincidence. I believe a lot in the path, in destiny… I remember, in 2002. It was daylight, it was fine. It was a Sunday against Ireland. It’s great to get that feeling again with these guys. The difference is there. Twenty years later, you are no longer in the field. You are in the stands.
“We are above all happy to make people happy. We receive so many messages that tell us…”
What was the atmosphere in the locker room after the game?
There are a lot of people in the changing rooms. General Alain Lardet, who commands the Foreign Legion who had welcomed us for training before this Tournament, many colonels… But it’s quiet and happy. As there is a lot of fatigue, it is appeased. But I don’t think it will lastto smile). For the moment, we are above all happy to make people happy. We receive so many messages that tell us…
How did your team approach this decisive meeting?
It was a little different. There was a lot of tension related to the expectation, the deadline, the symbolism. So I would say it was sublimely tense. We had not yet experienced this type of match, with a lot of stakes in each phase of the game, decisions that could reverse the course of the match. It’s an incredible experience to live that will make us grow even more.
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Did you tremble at the start of the second half when the English scored their only try to get back into the game?
It’s clear ! At half-time, we had insisted on the fact that we had to score before them to put them further in the score. We don’t do it and, on the contrary, the English are back in the game, at 6 points. This is what we experienced on all the big matches. We are familiar with this scenario which resembles those against the All Blacks, Ireland… We must then restore maximum intensity. There is something at stake in each choice, in each defensive gesture. All choices matter and it’s very intense.
“Tension jumped out at us all of a sudden, despite our willingness to detach from harmful thoughts.”
This Grand Slam heralds other great days…
When you win, it means that you made the right choices, that you work well, that you build a good team, that you take the right direction. We exceed 75% of victories (76% exactly, 19 in 25 matches, editor’s note); Monday we will be world number 2… We are on the right track with a young team, 26 years old and 20 selections on average, which will continue to grow and improve. There’s no reason she can’t continue to progress. There, we played this match with this tension that jumped out at us all of a sudden, despite our desire to detach from harmful thoughts. You have to live these finals, they allow you to acquire more and more common experience.
Do you already think about the World Cup?
It was our 25e match. The World Cup final will be the 46e. It’s pretty clear in our heads…