After two good matches against Perpignan then Montpellier, Brive puts back the warm-up blue this Saturday (5 p.m.) against the vice-champions of France, the Tarnais of Castres Olympique. Not an easy task. “With them, it’s almost infeasible, even if last year we were in the game” explains the coach in charge of the Arnaud Méla touch.
Faced with the wounded, young people
Brive has also shot himself in the foot with the fifteen injuries since the start of the season revealed by the club. “It occupiesironically Arnaud Méla, and it really makes you think. For example, Mathieu Voisin can go second line, but we have to review the position… in short, it’s adaptation.”
The staff has therefore decided to trust the young people, some of whom will make their first appearance in the Top 14. This is the case of Noé Bedou, Tom Raffy but also Aaron Grandidier. “Aaron has the experience of rugby sevens where he is in the France team” recalls Argentinian winger Axel Muller, who knows what he’s talking about. He also came from the VII before arriving in the XV, when he was in Toulon. “The VII was useful to me a lot for duels and to develop qualities more quickly”.
“Before, you had to reassure young people and tell them that they weren’t going to have their heads cut open”
However, a young team does not mean a less competitive team, according to the staff. They did the same preparation as the pros. It remains to calm their excitement. “The elders will have to calm down when needed, to make the right announcements at the right time” emphasizes coach Arnaud Méla.