What do you expect from this first tour in Japan?
Rafael Ibanes. We hope for players who are fully engaged, determined, effective. Historically, these summer tours used to be a kind of “weight”. They were seen as a constraint for players after a long season. For us, it is simply a matter of catching the thread of our recent success with the French XV.
The tour in Australia allowed Melvin Jaminett to reveal himself, Cameron Walkie և Anthony Gelonչ to insist on their …
Absolutely. On the first day of our training camp in Marcos, Bernard Laporte nodded, explaining that the France XV shirt was sacred, that all 42 players had the opportunity to express themselves. This list does not come as a surprise to us, as we have gone further than last year. In our pre-election process, about 80 players were withdrawn and registered. This is a tour during which the players who leave with us actually have everything to gain, because they can position themselves.
Read it!France XV. Jaliber, Jamine, Wakatavan և five Toulousemen among 42 blues on tour in Japan
There are seventeen players without a choice in this list, including four from Pro D2 …
We have no prejudice against the category in which players play, be it in Pro D2 or in the Top 14. For us, of course, it is their talent and strengths that set them apart, but also their attitude. , their characters … This is the balance we have sought in the choice. This is why we have integrated young players under the age of 20 with high potential.
You often discuss with Fabien Galtier the role of “laboratory”, “incubator”, which make up the gatherings of France XV. What is it in practice?
Our first words were to reassure the players that we were going to support them as best we could, taking advantage of these two days before they left (This Wednesday, the editor’s note) for collective reunification. They were reminded that the XV of France was certainly in a very good dynamic, of which they should be aware, but it should become a driving force to help them express themselves. We do not want them to fly with the weight of the latest legacy of France XV. That they should bring something to the team as much as they do. They must be able to express themselves freely.
“It will be terrible in Japan in the heat and humidity. »
You will find yourself in Japan with a hot և humid climate, how do you plan to adapt to these special conditions?
This is going to be awful. We try to prepare as well as possible for this, having the opportunity to take advantage of the environmental room in Marcus to anticipate these conditions, where players are regularly guided to make efforts there. And we will have a week to get used to it before the first test.
What to expect from this Japanese team, which has played less than its quarterfinal of the 2019 World Cup?
It is a team of full progress, which will obviously be overly motivated to face what we present – the “European champions”, number 2 in the world. They have very specific characteristics, a game based on speed, dynamics, very fast, with a lot of technical players. This raises the issue of power / speed ratio in our selection.
You can count on ten consecutive victories, a record dating back to the 1930s, that’s a goal.
It seems to me modestly that it is one of the characteristics of these two years of France XV, to achieve, to concretize goals, which have not been realized for a short time. But I prefer to be careful about the topic, because if we flood the players with historical references, I would not want them to lose the essential, that is, the pleasure of the game և the pleasure of expressing oneself without complexes.
Source: Le Figaro
