This was a small win. What are the positives you can take from this game?
Guy Noves: The win, obviously. It is always interesting to start with a win, even if our job in the next few days is going to be to focus on the content of the game, to see what we need to work on. You know, we are starting from the bottom, we were in camp for a very short time with a very young team. If we could have won by a bigger margin, we would have, but Italy could have won as well so let’s enjoy the win. I also want to focus on the enthusiasm the boys showed at times. We needed to be more lucid, and the first have didn’t have enough tempo. Our defensive from wasn’t good enough, which gave Italy a lot of possession and created a few gaps. But still, our enthusiasm was a big positive. We had talked about taking initiatives, there was an opportunity to score three points in the first half but the quick tap Gael Fickou took resulted in a try. It felt like, with this low tempo, the boys really wanted to let loose and play a faster game, which had been our message during the week. Each time we did that, we were dangerous. We will review our performance and hope to be better next week.
What do you think about your performance in the scrum?
GN: This wasn’t a great day. We did have some difficulty in the second half but I thought we got better afterwards. The two substitute props made a real impact. The last setpiece could have resulted in a penalty for Italy, and I’m pretty happy that it didn’t, as it was what the Italian were looking for. I am proud of the reaction of the boys in that area.
Guilhem Guirado: We only gave away two penalties, which means there are some details to improve. Credit to the two subs, who helped secure the win in the end.
What did you tell your teammates when you were behind 10-18?
GG: I told them we needed to play in their half and put them under pressure. When they got in the lead, they started playing at a very slow rhythm, and we couldn’t do anything to quicken the game. But we knew we had it in ourselves to do better, and Hugo Bonneval’s try put us on the right tracks again. We saw a lot of hesitation in the attacking line, with decoy runners that were not always needed. Was that too hard to work on in such a short time?
GN: It is all too hard to work on in such a short time, to be honest. After that much changes, despite everyone trying their best, it is too much. One day you’re practicing at 50% speed, the next you’re playing an actual game at international level against Italy. But now that we have had a real shot during an actual game, we will be able to explain to the boys what it is that we are expecting from them exactly, in terms of positioning, organisation. We can now build on a real performance. We are almost starting from scratch, this is the beginning of an adventure. That being said, what annoyed me was our inability to change the tempo of the game. A couple of the boys did it, and they were threatening each time.
Who decided to have Jules Plisson kick at goal after halftime?
GN: I Know Sebastien is skilled and was just in a bad day, so I told Jeff it was useless to put him under more pressure, I told him to let Sébastien focus on his job as a scrumhalf. We knew we had two quality kickers, and I’m happy it worked out for the best in the second half.
A lot of observers had said the, with this Italian team, you would win by at least 30 points… GN: I can’t answer for the people who said that, who didn’t respect the Italian. We always knew that this team could face any challenge, which they proved again today.
Did you think at some point the you could or that you were going to lose this game? GN: Yes, when Italy took the lead back from us 5 or 6 minutes from the end. Fortunately for us, Jules was able to kick a penalty from more than 50 meters out. But it wouldn’t have changed my analysis of the game. A tough win is always interesting in the life of a young squad, but the analysis of the content will be the same.
A game is a game, but how was it managing a national team instead of a club team? GN: My heart held up, which is good. Feeling the reactions of the crowd, whether we were behind or in the lead, was a great message, a strong sign of union between the fans and us. I hope the players felt it too. As a coach, those are intense and great moments. The fans were with us when we needed them, which was a nice feeling.
A word on Virimi Vakatawa’s performance GN: He obviously met our expectations. He showed his potential, and proved that he could perform at top level. I am very happy with him, he shook things up and ask a lot of questions to the Italian defense. I hope he will keep doing so, and then we’ll see if he can stay with us. For now, he is.
