You have decided to start Bernard Le Roux and Loann Goujon. Did you want to bring more power to the third row ?
Guy Noves : First, we are still trying to make an assessment of our squad depth in this 6 Nations. We have seen around 28 or 29 so far, and we wanted to inject a couple of fresh players. We played on Sunday, it might not look like a lot, but for top level athletes, one less day of recovery is very important. Having fresh players in those demanding positions seemed important to us.
Would you have made more changes in other circumstances, if for example you had had more time to train ?
GN : Since we have seen most of the players, we wanted to give the boys 2 or 3 games. Remember there are only 5. Bernard Le Roux got married on the second round so he couldn’t be with us, he is back now. Yes, we’ve only made two changes. We won’t change our philosophy just because we lost in Scotland. We made changes after wins too.
Would a win put a positive spin on your Championship, and on the opposite would a defeat put a negative spin on it ?
GN : I will let you decide, that’s your job. As far as we are concerned, our goal is to improve, to play better rugby each time we go out. We’ve only played 4 games. It would be normal to make a first assessment after the 6 Nations, but telling you a win would put us in a positive dynamics… When you’re on the pitch, you want to win, whatever the circumstances, whoever you are and wherever you e from. We would like to make a very positive assessment, it won’t be, but we are here to improve. Given the circumstances, the injuries, the RWC fiasco… I am not looking for excuses, but we could have lost against Italy and we didn’t, we could have lost against Ireland and we didn’t, we could have won in Wales, we could have won in Scotland… We are not that far behind, and I believe the team is improving. Even if, and I have said it before, I saw things in Scotland that I can’t tolerate, in terms of behavior and stupid mistakes.
Were you able to find an explanation for those mistakes ?
GN : Is there really an explanation when a player knocks the ball on. It’s just a matter of momentary clumsiness. If our phases are interrupted because a good pass is not completed after a knock on, it is very annoying. But I believe our positioning is good, we have worked on our circulation, our capacity to create and be efficient. What I am focusing on is mistakes like tackling a player in the air. I made things very clear with the boys and I hope we will do better immediately. Those are important penalties that we can easily avoid. Working on our game plan is great, but let’s have a good look at ourselves in the mirror and see what we can improve in the very short term and the very short time we have. We can hope that the boys will be more dexterous next time, but we could have hope for them to be dexterous before they arrived in camp ! When everyone understands the game plan, there may be more control and composure. They are top level players, but they come from all around the country and have to learn something new in a very short time. I am patient.
You have decided to start Machenaud and Trinh-Duc again. Is this the 9-10 combination you want install as your number one ?
GN : I have said it before, I will say it again. I am not installing anyone. In an original squad of 31, some have been injured, like Louis Picamoles, Antoine Burban… Like everyone else, we won’t be able to go forward with only one 9-10 combination. It was necessary to give the opportunity to all four players to work, to help each other, so that they are all involved. And I am sure we will have to involve other players in the future.
Do you think England will want to break you with a high-tempo game, and do you think your team can keep up ?
GN : I believe in our team. Not being aware that England is ahead of us at the moment would be naive, but I am convinced that French players can face those challenges. We will see about a victory, but matching up in terms of intensity, I am sure we can. As for England, from what we have seen, they are confident in their strengths, they play certain way, they are accurate, but high tempo… If smashing the defense on the gain line is high tempo then ok, but they often end up using the boot. They have a powerful pack, a couple of very quick players in the back line which means every gap is exploited. But if they want to wear us down with a high tempo, they will fail.
Is your mission as manager more difficult than what you expected ?
GN : Not at all, I was aware of the difficulty. I heard that I had no experience. It’s true, I have only been involved in rugby for the past 40 years, involved in 6 European finals. I have no experience at international level although I did get a few caps… I’ll leave the responsibility to the people who said that, it’s funny… But I was aware, at my very old age as it was written, of the difficulty. If I hadn’t thought about what was to come, that would have been stupid. Given the short period of time, the new project, I knew it would be difficult to get my message through.
You want the team to play a flowing game, with offloads and such. Can this strategy pay off against a powerful team like England ?
GN : We will stick to what we think is the style that will allow France to be as competitive as possible. I can’t guarantee that there won’t be knockons, but I can guarantee that we will keep on trying to move the ball, to play running rugby. This is how we will compete at the highest level. We will need to match England’s power when we defend, but they won’t defend with the same power. Again, we will stick to our philosophy, even if it means we lose every now and then, which we will. Changing our philosophy or changing the whole team after a couple of losses would be stupid. If you have never put on shorts, socks and studs, it might be hard to understand. Like in any area, you have to work to be great.
Guilhem, what is your assessment coming to the end of your first 6 Nations as captain ?
GG : I am learning everyday as captain. It is quite fascinating to see that, as a player or as captain, I am still learning game after game. What I can tell you is we are all looking forward to this game and we are preparing to perform.
Like you, Eddie Jones took charge after a massive failure in order to rebuild. Are you inspired by his success ?
GN : It is hard to compare. England not making the knockout stages in a home RWC was described as a massive failure. But people who know rugby were aware that the smallest mistake could mean being knocked out given the pool England was in. But they were still playing quality rugby, a quality that did not disappear. The former manager had done great work, and they were and still are a great team. There are fewer differences between them then and now than there are between the French team then and now. Our squad is very different, and I believe we are starting lower than they did. That being said, would we have wanted the same success that quick, obviously. But we know our path might be a bit longer.
Guilhem, do you feel like there is a will to make a statement after a disappointing game in Scotland ?
GG : The boys are indeed disappointed after a poor game, after the many penalties we gave. We are fully aware of this and got back to work on Monday. We only have a couple of days left, but in terms of commitment, concentration, I think everyone is ready.
