2023-09-09 12:43:00
After spending a little more than five minutes in front of the cameras in the mixed zone of the Stade de France, Charles Ollivon took a blow to the head when he saw the mass of print and web journalists waiting for him, for the to react to the crazy evening which had just set the Stade de France ablaze. With a crestfallen face, the great Charles first tried to turn on his heel before being caught by the sleeve by an official, asking him to make one last little effort.
“Quick guys please, I can’t take it anymore!” And the Toulonnais, best tackler of the match with Grégory Alldritt (15/16), indeed remained for a little less than three minutes with his watch in hand before slipping away for a well-deserved rest. “I am dead,” he said in the preamble, just to emphasize the harsh physical and mental ordeal he had just gone through. Having spoken regarding it with certain All Blacks, he added, “It’s a match that put all our bodies to the test. We’re all a little chewed up at the end of the match. After eighty minutes of this level, we come out exhausted and that’s somewhat normal. We will now have to recover, which is easier following a victory, and return to battle.”
We don’t have much energy left in the body
Gabin Villière lingered a little longer in front of the press but his message was essentially similar to that of his number 7. “We are tired, empty even. It has been very hard, physically and mentally exhausting because it has been a long time since “We were waiting for this match. We savored this victory in the locker room but we don’t have much energy left in our bodies, we are really drained.”
Two factors quite easily explain such a state of exhaustion. The first is linked to the level of intensity imposed by the All Blacks, especially in the first period with game launches executed at incredible speed. To the point that it is simply going too quickly for Antoine Dupont’s partners. A number reflects this suffering: in the first period, the Kiwis beat 22 French defenders. But unable to keep up the pace, Fabien Galthié’s men ran, a lot, and tried to keep their backs in the heart of the oil spill. Hanging on until their adversaries loosened their terrible grip to rebel, such was the plan put together urgently to avoid rout.
A phenomenal amount of energy, deployed first to not break down then to make the difference in the last twenty minutes. Like what Grégory Alldritt was able to provide, omnipresent in attack and defense. All in a still stifling heat, which certainly also explained the inability of the New Zealanders to maintain their incredible pace throughout the entire match. Well prepared, as we had already seen during the last summer match once morest Australia two weeks ago (41-17), the Blues finished stronger, also well energized by the contribution of the sidelines.
Nothing seemed superfluous to defeat this All Blacks team rediscovered compared to the giant with a foot of clay seen two weeks earlier once morest the Springboks (35-7). With this big step for first place in the group taken, Friday’s winners will now take the time to recharge their batteries and should leave it to others, or at least for the majority, to do the job once morest Uruguay and Namibia. More modest opponents to recover from this first extraordinary pass as a highly energy-consuming opening match.
“Strength of character is the hallmark of the Blues”
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