Find the reactions of Charles Ollivon, Julien Marchand and Fabien Galthié after France’s victory over Japan this Sunday in Toulouse (35-17).
Charles Ollivon (back row and captain)
“We had prepared well for this last match. Everything was not perfect. But these are three victories. We continue the series, we continue to gain confidence. It’s a great way to prepare for the Tournament. We must continue. We are 42 each time. You have to think of everyone, it’s thanks to everyone that we win again tonight. (…) I am really happy with this start to the season. To find the friends of the France team with great victories, it’s really nice. You always want to think about what’s next, but you have to know how to take advantage. »
Julien Marchand (hooker, elected man of the match)
” I am very happy. We are always happy to be rewarded, but today it is the work of the team. There are a lot of things to review, but we managed to hold on. It could have been against us. We didn’t give up until the end. It was a complicated match, we must congratulate this Japanese team who play very quickly, especially on the edges of the rucks. They caught us on mistakes, we will have to review that for the Tournament because otherwise it will be even more complicated. (…) As long as we win, we will always be happy. As long as we take pleasure, that we give it to the public, that we have a good time, it is essential for us. »
Fabien Galthié (coach)
“We always want to do better. The match was not easy but we won pretty well, decently. It was the third game in a difficult series, after Australia and South Africa. When you play the major nations of the South, it requires a lot of intensity in the preparation and it takes a lot of energy in the recovery. We wanted to put our finger on, thinking about the future, what a final phase is with nations from the South opposite. We realize that the challenge is enormous. The important thing is to have the feeling of continuing to progress, collectively and individually. We had a lot of players forfeited for this Tour. We attacked this Tour out of balance, compared to the injured players, to those who were on recovery. We weren’t spared, but that’s normal, it’s a combat sport. The group responded well. What is also interesting is that we managed to call back players who were not in the circuit, who were on standby and who responded present, like those who returned today for example.
Comments collected at the microphone of France 2
