“Does not having to play a play-off last weekend give you a real advantage going into this semi-final?
There is no absolute truth. It has already been proven that a team could be champion of France by going through the play-offs as well as by qualifying directly for the semi-finals. The rest periods of the past few weeks have allowed us to regenerate and avoid shocks that could have marked our bodies. But we still trained a lot, with a lot of races, very good sessions. We feel pretty good physically, we can’t wait for tomorrow (SATURDAY) to find out where we are.
How has your manager Ronan O’Gara contributed to your team’s current success?
Ronan, it is largely thanks to him that we managed to change our mentality and win two Champions Cup titles. He still teaches us today to dream bigger and to covet the double. But it takes a lot of work. When he came back with us to the Champions Cup final against Leinster, Ronan also showed us that we hadn’t had a great game, that we had left a lot of opportunities on the way and that we could have even higher standards. It is by seeking to progress and to work harder that one manages to be better.
“We gild the final phase matches, that’s for sure. We worked hard for ten months to be here. »
Is your team set to win the double this year?
I don’t know. It would be exceptional to be able to go further. We love finals matches, that’s for sure. We worked hard for ten months to be here. This half against Bordeaux is not a preparatory match for the final, because we have a lot of respect for the people of Bordeaux, we know what they are capable of. We will approach it as a first final hoping to be able to play a second next weekend. We are focused on the present moment. The mentality of the team is to have a lot of fun. There, we are spending a weekend in San Sebastian and we want to make the most of it. Afterwards, we will switch to the final if we qualify.
This season, in the Champions Cup, it was in a match where you were the big favourite, against Gloucester, that you suffered the most (29-26, in the round of 16). Did you learn from this experience?
The situation is different. We are favourites, yes, but we worked very hard to get everything we have today. We didn’t spend a fortnight in cotton hearing nothing but praise from Ronan (O’Gara) since our Champions Cup title. There was a little questioning. In particular, we looked at where we could still progress. Frankly, we do not stop there, we do not take the big head because we read that we are favorites. We focus on us, on our progress.
“We have players who bring a lot of good humor and smiles. But that doesn’t mean it’s not relaxation or relaxation. »
We feel very relaxed on the eve of this semi-final…
Of course there is a great atmosphere. It is very important for us to have a lot of life in the group. We have players like Uini (Anthony) ou Will (Skelton) which bring a lot of good humor and smiles. But that doesn’t mean it’s not relaxation or relaxation. It’s just part of us. Our primary goal is to have a lot of fun on the pitch. We measure how lucky we are to be able to play rugby and play a semi-final in a magnificent stadium. You have to smile and enjoy this moment. »