France Bleu Gironde: When will we see you again in the field?
Jefferson Poirot: I hope from here, let’s say maybe a week. So I don’t think I will be traveling to Perpignan. But I’ve been back racing for a while now and it’s going pretty well. So I’m hopeful of resuming full rugby at the start of next week.
Is it hard to say to ourselves that we will perhaps not participate in the money time or in the very last match?
Yes it is difficult. I’ve been in a race against time since April 9, these are the vagaries of a career, I don’t want to miss the best moments of the season, so I’m trying to do my best on my side. . But for sure it was frustrating because I had this groin injury or it took a long time to diagnose what I had. So I pulled on the machine a lot to try to come back, still in a lot of pain. It’s quite frustrating to spend all this time next to the team.
The UBB left for three days in the Landes last week, were you part of this rally?
Yes, I was from that gathering. We all left. We are lucky to have pretty much emptied the entire infirmary. So we all left and the injured people who remain like me are injured people who can run. So we were all able to go to Soustons.
The captain that you are, even if he is not operational, what role does he have?
It’s a somewhat secondary role of rugby. This is called a locker room role. It’s taking the temperature with the guys, maybe sometimes distilling a few messages that may or may not be heard, but at least showing that we’re there for the team. Listen also to make the link also with the staff from time to time, I necessarily continue to be part of the council of the wise, to be able to discuss around the performance on the ground.
There had been an internal update. It’s part of the life of a group, but some things had to be reframed?
I think we needed to get closer, to focus only on rugby and to be really focused on the common project. So that’s why we did these two greenings in the Médoc and in the Landes, which were quite interesting, also seeing our public who supports us, it’s always good energy. It allowed us to make this big match against Lyon, on which we must capitalize by keeping a place in the top two. And then continue to ramp up before the final stages.
After Lyon, will it be necessary to raise the cursor again to make great final phases?
We are aware that this is not a match that erases everything. Lyon’s first half is very similar to what we’ve been doing in recent months, that is to say by creating chances for 20 minutes, having a little trouble getting things done. Behind, it turns against us a little bit because we leave a lot of feathers there without scoring. Then the opposing team, it feeds a little on our mistakes and comes back strong in the game. So it’s been a bit like that over the last month. Afterwards, we saw that in the second half, we are also able to regain confidence. But as soon as we manage to put our game in place, as soon as we manage to be quite good in the system, as soon as we manage to be in the lead, as soon as we manage to be dominant in front, it’s better. This match shows our two faces.
This is your 11ᵉ season in Top14. Do you remember a 26ᵉ day with so much at stake for so many teams?
No, I don’t remember having seen a season with so much at stake. It’s true that it’s so tight for all the teams upstairs and downstairs, because we’re also going to Perpignan, which is playing a match to save itself. But it’s true that it’s true that no, in terms of qualification, I don’t have that memory.
Since 2012, you have seen this club grow. You have participated in its progress. The next course is to win something?
This is my 10th season at the club. I saw him grow. I passed several stages with and I usually say that it is a club which grew at the same time as my career. In the end, we grew up together, so that’s also why I stayed here for so many years. Now, we saw it over the last weekend. The most beautiful are still the titles. The fact that teams like Lyon and La Rochelle, who have backgrounds that may be a bit similar to ours, wins. It gives even more appetite.
Were you surprised by the fact that La Rochelle and Lyon won the title over this European weekend?
Yes and no. Because because they are still very big teams. Afterwards, I thought it was going to be Toulon because over the last few months, they are still the team in very good shape at the moment. We saw it, we, for once, we paid the price in Chaban unfortunately. And I honestly thought they had the ability and the energy after a tough season. When you have the opportunity to win a title, it’s true that generally it’s this kind of team profile that is formidable. So I thought they were going to win it. Then La Rochelle in view of the demonstration of Leinster against. Against Toulouse, it’s true that I think everyone saw them as favourites. But precisely, it gives a lot of hope to see these two teams having won the two European Cups because we see that in the end everything is possible. So you have to, you have to hang on, continue to whip as we do.