Toulouse (AFP)

The referee Jerome Garcès will "support France" during the Rugby World Cup even if he has chances to referee the final in case of absence of the Blues, he said in an interview with the AFP.

Garcès, 45, one of four French nationals out of the 12 main officials selected for the World Cup (20 September - 2 November), welcomes the "high level" of French professional referees, which he will become the technical manager after Japan .

Q: How do you qualify for French arbitration?

A: "We have five referees (including a touch judge, Editor's note) in this World Cup, plus three referees at the European level, which means that there are eight European referees who are well placed at the international level. wants to invest, is motivated, it is nice to work, to share with her, the French arbitration is of high level, I think that we are working to be among the best, and this work pays. We are working so much together that we can no longer talk about arbitration in the northern and southern hemispheres ".

Q: What is your assessment of your years of high level arbitration since 2006?

A: "Honestly, my career was beyond my dreams, so I imagined refereeing a Top 14. I did it, and then I wanted to referee a Top 14." A European Cup Final It's done International Being It's done My desire is to finish the most correctly possible to start my new job at the Federation (technical manager of the professional sector We have to accompany the referees, help the newcomers, give the leads, we want to bring our experience with my international colleagues, and we hope that it will be available on the Top 14 sites as well as on the other fields. "

Q: How will you live this competition while your name is whispered, even by your colleagues, to referee the final?

A: "There are pool matches to referee before, I say, you have to go soft and work before you dream!" Climbing step by step, "A World Cup is a fabulous experience, personally and As a group, we are going to form a team of referees, it will be my third World Cup, I have prepared it using my experience, what has worked, and it has not worked. Like all the World Cups, the program is loaded, I have seven games in the pool phase, we will also support France, hope she goes in the final, she is world champion ".

Interviewed by Remy ZAKA

© 2019 AFP