Small event Monday in the environment of the XV of France, where a single little question of nothing at all was asked about Antoine Dupont in a little over twenty minutes of press conference. No, at the start of the week, it is Italy which is at the heart of concerns. A match that it is absolutely imperative not to lose.
The statement of the day
The Blues staff are not afraid to use big words to describe the last group match against the Italians on Friday: “We enter matches in life, in death. Either we are still competing on Saturday and we are preparing for a quarter-final, or we are at home, notes attack coach Laurent Labit. The situation is simple. We clearly discussed it with the players, everyone knows what is at stake. »
A strong speech to avoid any risk of decompression, even if the technician does not really believe in it from his players. Message received, a priori, if we listen to Matthieu Jalibert. For the opener, the Italian rout against New Zealand this weekend changes nothing. “Of course we must fear her [cette équipe]. The image they showed against New Zealand does not reflect their real level,” he believes. We’re not going to play scare each other all week either, but we understand the idea.
The injured of the day
Finally, “injured” is a big word but Julien Marchand and Dorian Aldegheri, already spared on Sunday, once again remained apart during Monday’s session. Their presence on the scoresheet on Friday seems more and more uncertain. A semi-surprise for Marchand, who had resumed the race at the start of last week and about whom the staff was quite optimistic. The hooker injured his hamstring during the opening match against the Blacks.
Today’s program
Bye bye Aix-en-Provence. “We are very satisfied with what we found here, whether in terms of contacts with people or the working conditions, which are excellent,” greeted Laurent Labit by way of goodbye. The Blues arrive this morning in Lyon, where the match will take place on Friday. A press conference is planned for late morning. The announcement of the starting team against Italy will be on Wednesday.