London (AFP)
The scrum-half Baptiste Couilloud, promoted captain of the XV of France for his fifth selection and his first tenure, assures us: the Blues are "ready for the challenge", against England on Sunday in the final of the Coupe d fall of the nations.
Question: If you had been told six months ago that you would captain France against England, how would you have reacted?
Answer: "It is true that it is a posture which I did not necessarily expect. But it is, above all, a great great honor and I hope to wear the blue jersey proudly on Sunday. There are six months, we were in a completely different situation and I certainly would not have thought to be there. There are things that we do not control, it is up to me to seize this opportunity ".
Q: How did you feel with your teammates this week, especially in the face of criticism from the English press who spoke of "farce"?
A: "These criticisms, we heard them, read them ... We discussed them a little at the beginning of the week. But we mainly focused on the preparation of this match. And it was very serious, studious even. We have mentioned a lot of elements in the tactical preparation of this match. We are ready for the challenge. The message to be conveyed this week is to seize the opportunity. We are lucky to be able to take up this challenge: c 'is a very great team. We have everything to gain in this match, it is up to us to prove that we are not here by chance ".
Q: Finally, you have nothing to lose against England ...
R: "Rather than nothing to lose, I think we have everything to gain. It's still different. It proves that we come with intentions, that we are not going to let ourselves be walked on. teams that, on paper, are stronger than us, we have already played a few. We are an ambitious group, certainly young but we have all played great posters in the Top 14 or at the international level and we are ready to take up the challenge ".
Interview at a press conference
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