The reactions after the game against La Rochelle.
Your men in red and black earned two points from their away game in La Rochelle, last Saturday. Here are the main reactions after the game.
Diego Dominguez, RCT manager: “If I had been told we would take two points in La Rochelle, I think we would have agreed immediately. Several teams suffered setbacks here. We could snatch the draw thanks to Pierre Bernard, who kept his nerves and scored a difficult penalty when the siren blew. You recognize the great players in those moments. A draw is better than a defeat, isn’t it? Still, that’s a pity. I think that, over the whole game, we deserved to win, but we just made too many mistakes. We could have lost it as well. The draw leaves a bitter taste. But, to be honest, I would have agreed about it before the game. La Rochelle fought bravely. Both teams were penalised heavily. There were many interruptions, but we expected it. That’s the way it goes. We grabbed two good points away before the first European Cup game. We’re marching on.”
Maxime Mermoz, RCT centre: “Sometimes, we were good. Other times, we did things the wrong way. We couldn’t get the ball outside of our own half properly. But we have to pay tribute to the La Rochelle players, who knew how to put us under pressure. From there, we made mistakes. However, we can still be satisfied to earn a draw here, despite the unfolding of the game. Usually, La Rochelle score between thirty and forty points at home.”
Uni Antonio, La Rochelle prop: “Fortunately, my new-born baby slept rather well last night. Because we gave everything tonight and didn’t falter. Right from the start, because of Gaby Lacroix’s injury, we had to tinker about and Kevin Gourdon played as a centre. We take points again for the eighth time in eight games and that’s very positive. Every time, we have taken points – one, two or five. We’re not totally disappointed with this draw, as taking two points is still good. We scored after them. The RCT frontline is top-notch. Well, it’s Toulon, you know… It feels good to keep our unbeaten run at home, as several teams have already suffered one or two home defeats.”
Sources: post-game mixed zone, Var-Matin, L’Equipe, Rugbyrama.