At 22, she will participate in her first World Cup. The scrum half of the XV of France, Alexandra Chambon (6 caps), explained in an interview with AFP that the Blue arrived in New Zealand to compete in the World Cup with a status “completely assumed” to be an outsider. A situation that will allow them “to go all out” and perhaps finally ward off the bad luck of third place.
AFP: Do you consider yourself to be outsiders in this competition?
Alexandra Chambon: Yes, clearly, from our performance over the season that has just ended, we arrive with this status and it is completely assumed. For my part, it’s even a very good positioning because we know we can go there without having anything to regret. We don’t have this status as a leader to maintain, so we might as well go all out.
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Did you digest the preparation matches against Italy [une victoire et une défaite] ?
They are digested because we knew they were “warm up” [des échauffements], that they were there to test us. Afterwards, we still have in the throat the fact of not having been able to show our true face. We haven’t been true to who we are. But they may be beneficial to show something else and take our revenge on ourselves. Because we are known to be enraged, girls who don’t give up, especially in defense.
How to explain that France still stumbles on third place in the World Cup?
It remains a competition with a particular format, the team must have experience of these final phases, over the length, to get a good performance, even after the fourth, fifth or sixth match. There is also a part of psychology which is important: you have to hold out until the end, and I hope that this time it will be the right one for us. With great courage and ambition, I hope that we will break this glass ceiling.
What was your reaction to the announcement of your presence in the list of 32 Bleues for this World Cup?
It’s a feeling that’s hard to describe because we’re waiting for it, we’re preparing for it, but when it happens, we say to ourselves: “Alright, alright, that’s alright, I’ve accomplished that first goal“, but we also say to ourselves: “Most of the work remains“. And then it was special, because we were so happy on the one hand, but on the other hand, we knew that we were leaving girls in France with whom we had forged ties. So, there was a mix crazy feelings.
It’s your first World Cup: what does it represent?
It is a bit special because, a year ago, if someone had told me that I was going to participate, I would not have believed it. I was not part of the group, it was scheduled for last year, and all these circumstances, the Covid… It had positive effects for the younger generation. So it’s great, it’s full of excitement, impatience and at the same time, there’s added pressure. But I feel like I’m living it pretty well, I’m enjoying it and I’m going to take whatever I can take.
What is the atmosphere within the group?
We’ve clearly switched to competition mode, even if that doesn’t take away the fact that we’re in fun mode at times, because that’s what will make us loose and in full possession of everything we want and know how to do. The atmosphere is therefore to work but also to the exchange because we know that every moment we live off the field will perhaps help us to get through difficult stages on the field. That’s why we sharpen our sense of competition on [le jeu vidéo] “Mario Kart” (laughs) and that we try to live it as a human adventure.