As feared, USAP suffered a severe defeat in England. Already down 35-12 at the break, the Catalans fell 68-19 at Gloucester. It’s not the defeat that will change the USAP season, far from it, but it’s always embarrassing to take such a knockout, coach Patrick Arlettaz does not hide it a week before receiving Lyon in Top 14.
Does such a big defeat hurt your heads?
It’s always very unpleasant to take so many. More than the score itself, we were overwhelmed in terms of speed, replacement, play without the ball. When we had the ball, we were sterile except on our mauls. There are too few things to remember about this match. Of course, the team was reshuffled and we had more individual objectives than collective ones but it is obviously a defeat that hurts.
When you wear this jersey, taking 70 points is not pleasant. We must use it and learn from it. Lots to work on but we are not going to turn our heads upside down. This competition was not the goal of the club but whatever the goal, taking 70 is a stain. The only thing to do now is to shut up to make another copy in the championship that matters to the club.
Faced with a team of the quality of Gloucester, was the USAP not at all able to fight?
There are a lot of differences with a team like that. Gloucester is fourth in its championship and is playing hard. And then, there are too many things on which we can be much better than what we were on this match. That the difference is made against this team which has a large workforce and which makes this competition a goal, I want to but there are a lot of things we should have done better.
The only advantage of this match, like the previous one, will have been to manage the squad…
It was the goal, it was necessary to use these two European Cup matches to regenerate some, to play others. It’s the best way to prepare for the match against Lyon, which remains the major objective, and then against Toulouse, which will come next. But, Lyon and Toulouse, it will be at the level of Gloucester and even if it will not be on synthetic, I hope that we will make a better copy. It puts us back on the ground, we didn’t necessarily need it. We won in Biarritz, it was good, but the championship is far from over. We touch the very very high level and on this match we were not invited.
How do you view Brayden Williame’s first performance?
It obviously lacks benchmarks and there it was going very quickly so he was in difficulty but we are not going to hold it against him. We wanted to see him, we wanted him to play 80 minutes but he perfected his training at 15. He has qualities and character. The whole team was in difficulty so he, with less reference, must have been too.
And what is your view on Victor Montgaillard’s new good comeback?
Victor is making a very good comeback but he is in the high level standards, he is used to playing with the under 20s. When it plays quickly, it suits him. It’s when it’s slower that it becomes counterproductive for him. Physically, he has to work but when it’s like that and you have to be very quickly in his replacement in the creation, we know that he is efficient.