Manny Edmonds : "Wasted chances, but also positive things against Paris"
RCT’s defence coach attended the pre-game press conference, last Wednesday. He spoke about the away game against Stade Français and the preparation ahead of the game against La Rochelle, on Saturday, at the Stade Mayol (kick-off time: 2:45 p.m.).
Manny, it’s been a rather short week, as you played your last game last Sunday in Paris and you’re playing the next one on Saturday, at the Stade Mayol. How did the staff plan everything?
It’s not an ideal situation, especially ahead of a capital game against La Rochelle, but the fixtures are thus organized and we have to adapt. We rested on Monday, we watched videos and did statistical and individual analyses on Tuesday. We’re working hard today, tomorrow will be a day off and we’ll set up the game plan on Friday.
What do you think of the game against Stade Français?
It was obvious we wasted many chances during the game, but there were positive things as well. First, it feels good to take five points. Despite its ranking in the table, Stade Français is a good team and there was a narrow difference throughout the game. It’s true we were quite sloppy in the way we handled the ball, but this also means the players did try things and we’re not going to blame them for it, because that’s what we’re asking from them.
Are La Rochelle one step higher?
We know La Rochelle are a very good team. So far, they’ve scored more tries than any other team this season. They won their last game by a 50-point margin, so they’ll have self-confidence. They’ll also remember the semi-final they lost against us last May. So, we’ve been warned.
Photo credits: Thomas Martino, RCT.