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We can't imagine that there was a big questioning, at the debriefing, after
this heavy defeat against Ireland
...
Paul Boudehent:
Yes, questioning is always necessary.
Now, it is not because the match did not go as we wanted that the entire system needs to be reviewed.
The squad and staff have proven themselves so far.
We continue to trust each other and work.
We questioned ourselves - that's the right term - to look for something in Scotland and, above all, to show another face.
Has your morale been affected?
To say no would be a lie.
Morale and ego too, because we were in front of our audience, are affected.
However, we are not discouraged, we are all challengers, it's our job, we like it.
This weekend in Scotland is a new challenge.
We would have liked to put on another face, that's for sure, now the Tournament is not over.
We believe in.
“We didn’t manage to put our game together but I think the game plan is good and so are the squad”
William Servat
explained that it was not the game plan against Ireland that was faulty but its application.
Was there a lack of understanding from the players?
Obviously, there were things that didn't go well.
When we see the result of the match, it didn’t go as planned.
I agree with him on the fact that we should have played differently.
To say that there is a misunderstanding with the new staff and that the new system would pose a problem for us, I don't think so at all.
We didn't manage to put our game together but I think the game plan is good and the squad too.
How do you view
Scotland
and its forwards who are much more formidable than in the past?
Personally, it was against them that I had my first two selections
(last summer in a preparation match for the World Cup, Editor's note).
Even though we lost the first match, I have very good memories of it.
It’s a team that plays great rugby, that moves the ball.
They are hard to play but we enjoy playing against them.
Do you remember the special atmosphere at Murrayfield?
The Scots, whether the players or the supporters, are all in it.
Everyone says that playing there in Scotland is great because the crowd goes completely wild.
It's in their culture.
(...) It's different from what we're used to seeing in the Top 14. The Six Nations is a different atmosphere.
And I never played against Scotland in the Tournament.
This summer, there were no issues.
This is going to be worse...
“Charles Ollivon, he’s really a dad on the team”
The pace promises to be high...
From what little I've seen, it's a team that moves the ball a lot.
From there to say that they don't have a game plan, I don't think so.
It's a team that is very structured, differently from Ireland, they have very good ball players.
Up front, it's certain that it may not be the South African pack, but they are very good rugby players.
I think we're going to have a good rugby match.
You knew Charles Ollivon as captain during the World Cup, taking over from Antoine Dupont. Has his role changed in the team today?
His role has not changed as a player and as a man either.
He no longer has the armband but the man is still present, both on and off the field.
He really is a dad on the team.
In any case up front, he unites but also guides the guys.
I remember my first matches with the French team, with his experience, he guides us.
His role has not changed.