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"The dressing room was the closest thing to a funeral room." The words of Alberto Blanco, Albertuco , remember how almost two years ago the Spanish rugby team was ruminating their painful indignation in Brussels after losing to Belgium with the biased arbitration of Iordachescu. Last Saturday, after beating Russia (12-31), players were portrayed between smiles at Sochi Stadium. "Now we are more family," says this pilier present in both appointments.
The project of the coach Santiago Santos has chained in twelve months nine consecutive victories, some of notable merit against teams that attended the World Cup. This Sunday he receives (12:45 hours) in the Central Stadium of the University City of Madrid to Georgia, the last rival he lost. A game to take the temperature to Spanish rugby.
Although the 'Lions' aim high, the greatest difficulties are guessed stuck to the grass. Georgia, a regular team in the last World Cups, sports a powerful front, full of kilos and experience . Alberto Blanco will have to collide, habitual of the selection and protagonist in the numerous recent titles of his team, the VRAC Quesos Entrepinares . "The melee is very important to get on the team, hopefully not dominate us, face them face to face." In recent days the first line, commanded by Captain Fernando López , has specifically prepared this phase of the conquest of the ball and contacts with the strongest players of the rival.
Analyzed in the distance, that defeat in Brussels did not mean an end of the cycle and a reinvention. Among the factors that re-launch the selection, Blanco highlights the improvement of the Spanish Honor Division, which lives its most competitive edition in a long time. "In the last five years the level has risen a lot and that is reflected in the selection. We have better quality and we are more competitive."
Brad Linklater , a New Zealander who arrived in Spain in 2010 and works in the morning as a teacher, "prepares the future for after retirement" coincides in that diagnosis. Member of the Lexus Alcobendas Rugby , with 'the Lions' has occupied almost all the positions of the three quarters. On Saturday, against Russia, he even had to get in the lead a few minutes and despite this he scored the trial that took off Spain on the scoreboard. "The quality of foreigners is improving, but the biggest change is that, thanks to the work of the clubs and the Federation, this year there are a lot of kids between 18 and 22 who are already starting to stand out in the first level " , says Linklater.
This Sunday he will not wear boots against Georgia. Although their work commitments reduce their dedication to selection, it lists the advances of the last five years. "All the technology, the analysis, the video work, the gps, the plan for each game, the quality of what we eat, the diet, the recovery ... That has changed a lot, now everything is measured to the last detail ". Among the pending issues, Linklater notes "improving training for referees and for clubs to train with higher quality."
Since the end of 2018 the coach Santiago Santos organizes monthly calls and manages a template with several options per position. This way, the labor absences of amateur players and, on the contrary, the reluctance of some French clubs to continually transfer to their Spanish professionals. In total, there are between 50 and 60 players with different situations that come together in a similar desire. More resources to improve.
Looking precisely for those means, some Spanish promises cross the Pyrenees every season to form. The third San Sebastian line Asier Usárraga was still a minor when, a decade ago, he decided to travel to France. Today, seated in the ranks of the Biarritz Olympique of the PRO D2 (the second French division), describes how a rugby professional lives. "We have breakfast together, then we have a video session, gym and strikers training. We eat together, again video and then collective training." A complete dedication that generates "a very high level of competition".
In his appearances with the 'Lions' he has also perceived that "much progress is being made". He defines his experience in the selection as "a healthy competition, for me to come here is a plus, a gift that I try to enjoy". With the 2023 World Cup as a goal, the descendants of Spanish recruited in the best French categories - Guillaume Rouet, Charly Malie ... - who were about to obtain the classification for Japan 2019 also return to the selection. Some, such as Lucas Guillaume , they never left the 'Lions' and have established themselves as leaders in the field.
The management of such a large group makes "data collection and control more difficult but on the other hand it allows us to have different team profiles according to rivals." Mar Álvarez , physical trainer of the national team and Silverstom El Salvador , assures it. The truth is that the 'XV of the Lion' has gained strength. He makes mistakes, but is not usually absent from the game; rather, await your opportunity. Make the most of your strengths, especially the domain in the touche and the maul . Maintains high defensive intensity for many minutes. It lacks, however, the offensive fluency of a couple of years ago, the ability to surprise. In that number 10 Santos test and test, but he has not found a substitute for the opening Matthieu Belie that contributes mordant to the attack.
For Mar Álvarez, "Georgia is an incredible team and physically very good at all levels", against which Spain would prefer to "play faster and using more space". Make the ball circulate with speed and stop as little as possible. "We are almost always interested in a game with a lot of playing time. We train so that our players can withstand and tolerate very long sequences. And we are more comfortable than other teams doing this."
Now that the improvement against direct rivals such as Russia or Romania seems consolidated and that the qualification for the 2023 World Cup has not begun to be disputed, coach Santiago Santos sets his immediate goal in this 'Six Nations b': "Georgia has dominated the decade of 2010, Spain must aspire to be the team that dominates in the 2020s. " The 'Lions' explore their new limits.
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