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Lorenzetti: "Count on us not to give up"

2020-10-18T15:09:49.811Z


The Ile-de-France president returns, with a little hindsight, to the final lost to Exeter. And promises that his club will come back stronger.


Looking back, how do you analyze this defeat in the final against Exeter?


Jacky Lorenzetti:

There is a lot of disappointment because I have the impression that we fought ourselves… With the respect I have for our opponent who became European champion - we are not going to question their victory - I have the impression that we are losing the match and that they have not shown us anything extraordinary except their usual strategy, which has caused us to suffer martyrdom for fifteen minutes.

Which is inexplicable since we knew their way of playing well: not taking penalties and pushing our line.

We were warned, we had seen Toulouse suffer the consequences.

I thought we were ready, but we weren't.

There was the bankruptcy of certain executives and then a collective bankruptcy.

It's a big disappointment.

With this missed start to the match, you chased the score the whole game…


Even in spite of that, in the last five minutes, we came back to 27-28, we are on their goal line but we lack lucidity.

We should have taken the penalty or played the drop afterwards.

Or even spread out on Kurtley (Beale) or (Juan) Imhoff, who were there, who stood out completely with no one in front of them.

We had done the right thing but we lacked lucidity, strategy… We are up to speed but we haven't done it. 

But your scrum-half Teddy Iribaren was injured before the game.


I don't know if he was injured.

Let's say he didn't make an extraordinary start to the match, but I'll avoid lambasting one or the other.

It is a collective defeat.

The team lost completely, me too, the staff too.

So we all question ourselves and we have to analyze the reasons for this third defeat.

The good side of things is that we did three finals in five years.

We are still well established at the top of European rugby, if I may.

Now we are missing the consecration.

We need it, we are going to work, work, work… This is all that is true. 

You had done an impressive job of putting yourself in a “bubble” before this final…


We have no excuses.

We had all our players and "Toto" (manager Laurent Travers) was spoiled for choice with 50 very good players at his disposal.

The satisfaction is that we had 10 young people from our training center who were in the field.

With an impressive number of JIFFs (Players from training courses).

We are in this training strategy, which is successful for us.

We will continue.

Afterwards, we cannot invoke the lack of experience, he has players who had two or even three European finals in their hands.

It is a collective difficulty, despite our level, to assume a victory.

We're going to work, we're going to meet, we're going to talk about all of this.

"We were a little invested with a mission and we did not know how to assume it"

Jacky Lorenzetti

Is it weird to play a final at the start of the season?


Yes, but we were expecting it.

In reality, we had never unplugged.

This stupid stupid thing, the Covid-19, prevented us from living but we still wanted to continue our activity.

We continued to work, we were in contact with the players, we knew that this European Cup was coming.

In reality, there was no hiatus in our preparation.

And then, over the last two weeks, we made the right decisions, we isolated ourselves, we practically did a commando training course.

In addition, we have the impression that French rugby was expecting our victory, I have received hundreds of encouraging texts.

We were somewhat invested with a mission and we did not know how to assume it.

It is up to us to question ourselves and ensure that we forget this disappointment. 

This is only the start of the season, there are still two possibilities to win a title ...


There you go.

Even three if we count rugby 7. We have several ways to catch up.

But we don't have time to have moods since the Stade Français arrives next weekend.

And this is my favorite match! 

More generally, how do you see the rest of the season?


I have a fierce will, an aggressiveness to win.

We owe each other a rematch.

Towards ourselves, our partners, our supporters.

We're going to be snarling… In any case, I am.

Personally, how do you live this period of health crisis which means the end of the activities of the Arena?


I resist.

The Arena has been closed since February, we are piling up the losses… For Racing, this final would have done the group a lot of good… The wine (he owns vineyards in the Bordeaux region, Editor's note) is not sold because buyers don't come… Finance is not crazy… Real estate and offices are not in good health either… The period is not easy, but hey, sport teaches us to never give up.

Count on us not to give up.

Read also

  • Exeter-Racing: the favorites and strokes of our special correspondent

Source: lefigaro

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