Toulouse (AFP)

Called into the group for the Six Nations Tournament without having played for nearly three months, François Cros said, in an interview with AFP, "very happy with the confidence" given by the staff of the France team, without feeling "installed".

Victim of a broken foot at the end of October, the third row of Stade Toulouse (26 years old, 8 selections), a podiatry graduate, must make his return to competition on Saturday in Agen, on the occasion of the 19th day of the Top 14.

Question: How do you feel after this long absence?

Answer: "I can't wait to play again, to find the sensations on the ground to see where I am and put this injury behind me ... We may feel good and train properly, the revealing is field."

Q: To be injured in the foot, is not that the height of the podiatrist?

A: "Unfortunately, a chiropodist doesn't do much about a fracture! It didn't necessarily help me in my convalescence. I thought I could start a little earlier at the start. It's a long time, three months .. . But you had to wait until the fracture was well consolidated so as not to have other after-effects behind. You have to take your pain patiently. And it's true that I am lucky to have podiatry nearby which allows me to do something else, to think of something other than rugby from time to time. "

Q: Did you still follow the France team during the Autumn Nations Cup?

A: "Of course! I watched the matches and it's very flattering for our France group to have - having changed a lot of players - still an identity that remains there. It is promising and a good omen for the after."

Q: The Toulouse stadium also started a good dynamic during your absence ...

A: "The club is doing well at the moment, it's great for us, it allows us to evolve in good conditions, with confidence. It's up to me to show myself at their current level."

Q: Were you surprised to be called?

R: "I don't know if + surprised + is the term. It's true that I had this apprehension of not being there ... And I was rather very happy with the confidence that the staff offered me. . I realize that it's still quite special to have been taken directly after a long injury, without having played. "

Q: Is this a sign that the third line that you form with Charles Ollivon and Grégory Alldritt is installed in the mind of the coach?

A: "When we feel settled, we already lack humility and we can feel ourselves arrived. For the moment, our association works well. But, when we were not aligned on the fall tour, the third row was also very successful. That's what is good in this group: nobody is installed, the competition is big and it pulls us all up. "

Q: Have you been in contact with the Blues management?

A: "I had regular contact with several members of the technical and medical staff. It is nice that they are interested in me and that they take news. And I had contact with Fabien (Galthié) a little before the announcement. He needed to have my feelings, to know in what physical condition I was. I am now waiting to prove it by the field more than by words. "

Q: How do you cope with the uncertainty that hangs over the holding of the Tournament due to the health crisis?

A: "It's special, we have uncertainties over several competitions. It's an event that we don't want to miss and we are preparing hard as if we were going to play it to the end."

Q: With what ambition?

A: "We are a team under construction. So the objective is to always move forward, always progress. It's a group that is confident, but above all that lives well. Everyone is important, everyone has their share of responsibility. And it's rare for teams to operate like that. "

Interview by Sébastien DUVAL

© 2021 AFP