Gonzalo Quesada, manager of Stade Français, after the victory (19-10) against Stade Toulousain, Saturday: “Some imagined that Toulouse would be less solid because they lacked internationals, but Toulouse is still a good team and they were very solid, especially in the ground game. They were very good in defense and very solid in contact. They didn’t give up and they showed us that we could still progress in the game.
We felt like we were in control of the game, but we only had a 6-point lead for the entire second period. We were unable to carry our actions through to the end. But we won as often this season. The group deserves to approach the last three matches in a good position in the standings. I am very proud of my players tonight. »
Giovanni Habel-Küffner (third row, Stade Français): “It’s not our best win of the year. But a victory is a victory. In front of 20,000 spectators, it was great. It helps us tried to send play. Toulouse put a lot of pressure on the rucks and put us in difficulty. You have to be more specific. They saw something in our game that we will have to work on.
Toulouse is always a great team. They didn’t have all the internationals but they read and understand the game which is really very good. We were better in the second half, but it wasn’t perfect. We try to win every game and improve. The job is not finished. We will try to finish as high as possible. »
“Melvyn heard his ankle crack but at this time there is no further info”
Virgile Lacombe, Toulouse forwards coach
Virgile Lacombe (forward coach, Toulouse): “At the moment, we don’t know much about Melvyn’s injury.(Jaminet). He heard his ankle crack but at this time there is no further information. We showed great character against the third in the Championship. Taking a single try is a good thing. We defended very well.
Melvyn’s exit hurt us because she takes away the deep foot game. We had fourteen players under 23, 11 of whom trained at the club. Achieving a result would have been great, but we are very proud of their behavior and their attitude. We were close to recovering something. The group continues to grow and evolve. »
Guillaume Cramont (hooker, Toulouse): “We don’t have a lot of opportunities to show off, so we put in a lot of energy and commitment. But there was also a lot of indiscipline. We tried to ignore Melvyn’s injury (Jaminet) but he is someone important to us. I find that we were not rewarded in melee because we were rather dominating. We couldn’t attack in the second half. Hugo Mola was happy with the state of mind but not always with the content. »
“It’s a positive experience that allows you to see the strength of the group”
Clément Vergé, second line of Stade Toulousain
Clément Vergé (second line, Toulouse): “We are a little disappointed. The team lined up was a bit like the one that was champion of France Espoirs. We don’t go far, it’s very frustrating. It could have been a big memory for all of us. We tried to be at the level of Stade Toulousain. We don’t often have the opportunity to show ourselves, so we had the desire but we wanted to keep the game plan and the tactics and that was harder. It’s a positive experience that shows the strength of the group. Melvyn’s wound (Jaminet) hurt us a lot because he was the leader in the kicking game in the length. You don’t replace your kicking game like that. »