Lemaître, president of Toulon: "There have been too many matches which have upset everyone"

failure

For 70% of the season, we were between 6th and 3rd place. It was the reason why I had hopes. With the return of the injured, the players who contracted Covid-19, and the internationals, we had justified hopes to behave well in the final phase. It's a fail. It is the consequence of defeat that we should not have suffered. In particular, the two matches against Bayonne. The difference is 8 points, and we miss them at the end. Beyond the failure, there have been too many matches that have annoyed everyone. They question journalists, they annoy the supporters, and those who support the club. We take 40 or 50 points, which is not acceptable. The causes are the state ofspirit and collective solidarity that are not present in some matches. In these conditions, we are not Toulon. And in Toulon, we must be Toulon. Toulon, what is it? It is a certain ethics of behavior on the field, which is known and which makes the reputation of the club. We must strive to find this ethic very quickly. There won't be a second season like this. I speak for myself in particular.

Collective defeats by 30, 40 or 50 points is simply unthinkable. It is the sign of a collective failure. Somewhere, there is therefore a group that gives up. A few individuals try to resist sporadically. But, that's not a team. We must find this notion. If we can't find her, there will be things to do. Moral ethics is above all the personal requirement of the player who claims to be a professional in relation to himself and to the team. When this work ethic is not enough, the player does not contribute as he should. We know that some players are not in this framework. Some may be international today and are not within this specific framework. It's not acceptable.Some players sometimes look at each other in the navel. They do not realize the situation, and in the situation where they put the club. On this point, we will be much more demanding. I want more individual work, more collective work, more sense of the collective… Leadership must be exercised, and the best leadership is a group where each individual takes charge.

In Toulon, the limit is that of the salary cap. In the previous era, player contracts were signed by my predecessor. They have extremely high salaries. They weigh heavily in the calculation of the salary cap. It's limiting. Supporters are surprised by the departures of the Taofifenua brothers. They're right. These are two players that we value. But, this is an example of a case where we have to release players in order to pay others. The recruitments made this season are at very, reasonable prices, market prices. Prices that are rather drawn down. The goal for the club is to lower its average salary over the next three years. I hear the screams on social media saying we've lost ambition, I say, theambition remains intact. We have to do with what we can. Some clubs in the Top 14 may ask questions in terms of payroll. The problem is theirs. For our part, we have decided to be virtuous in this area.

As for the prime center, I was on the trail of a very impressive player. We were right on the proposal. But ultimately, his wife preferred another city than Toulon as a living environment. It influenced the player. Some comments made by

, may have made him think. He went elsewhere. We regret it, we had done an enormous job. We really tried to get him to come. But, we are still on a caliber in this area, especially at the number 12 position. It could bring particular added value.