Oliva (Spain) (AFP)
The draft game of the XV of France, in full preparation for the World Cup (September 20 - November 2), "is more accurate than Six Nations," said Friday the hooker Camille Chat the first day of training at Oliva, Spain.
"Everyone brings their personal touch but the project of game, for me, is more precise," said the player of Racing 92, questioned on the reorganization of the staff reinforced by Fabien Galthie, future coach, Laurent Labit, in charge of the individual technique , and Thibault Giroud, physical trainer.
"I do not know if it's thanks to the new coaches or not, but it's more accurate than the Six Nations, for example," added the hooker. The Blues had greatly disappointed at the tournament, finishing 4th after being outclassed in England and Ireland. It was at the end of this competition that Bernard Laporte, the president of the Federation, had imposed on current coach Jacques Brunel to surround himself with "new skills".
In charge of the collective animation and qualified as "deputy like the others" by Brunel to whom he must therefore succeed, Galthié, former coach of Stade Français, Montpellier and Toulon, is very present in the field since the beginning of the preparation. "He is a very pragmatic person, who knows his role at his fingertips," says Chat. "All his training is accurate, we quickly understand what he wants."
Galthie brought in his suitcase Giroud, his trainer in Toulon obsessed with speed and intensity. "I have never trained so hard in my life," says Chat. "I was expecting it to be tough - we're preparing for a World Cup - but when we're in it, it's very hard, we do not even have time to rest. room) in the evening, at 21h, we want to sleep, we have nothing in the vest ", fun Racingman.
The Blues train one week at Oliva Nova, a tourist resort on the Mediterranean coast near Valencia, before meeting in Nice on August 14 for the first pre-game against Scotland, on the 17th. They will fly September 7th for Japan.
© 2019 AFP