Interviews in Marseille
La Rochelle will play their second Champions Cup final in a row. How did you bounce back and come to the final? Grégory Alldritt: It was tough at the start of the season. But, little by little, we managed to evacuate it. The Top 14 is a very tough competition and this European Cup has been our breath of fresh air this season. Match after match, we were able to recreate an adventure. The French players at the club, we didn’t really have this culture of the European Cup. But, since last year, Ronan (O’Gara) has brought us this culture of the Champions Cup. We really enjoy playing this competition. We want to be among the best teams in Europe. We lost this final against Toulouse but we have a second chance against what is best in Europe with Toulouse. So there’s more to…
For La Rochelle, winning this title would definitely make it into the big leagues… It’s super important. It’s the only way to be one of the greats of Europe. We remember that we made a final last year, but in ten years, no one will remember. Only the winner will remain. It’s up to us to show that we have the shoulders and the level to compete with the biggest in Europe. To mark our name on this cup.
Many observers already see the European Cup going to Dublin. What inspires you? After the victory against Racing, I said it was very good… Personally, I love being in this situation. Afterwards, we know that the Irish are very humble and that, on the ground, they will not look down on us. But I’m sure we’ll do it, I’m sure we have the capacity to do it. It’s going to be very hard, but winning a title is never easy. We’re going to have to come up with the perfect match. But I felt this week was not an ordinary week. I felt everyone involved, everyone raised the slider, even the out-of-group players who worked with us this week.
What has changed in one year at Stade Rochelais? (He thinks) It’s a tough question because we don’t have much time to ask ourselves, to look back and take stock. I would say that we learned a lot from last season. We learned that reaching the final is not an end. Last year, it was almost a surprise to reach the final at Twickenham. We did not expect it, it was wonderful. Now that’s no longer a surprise. Last year, something was taken from us. I still have this image of Toulouse lifting the cup in front of us. That has really been our motivation all season. We climbed the ladder and on Monday, we all found ourselves more motivated than ever. We have only one desire, not to relish the taste of defeat. This week we only talked about one thing: how to lift that cup.
The rucks sector will be decisive against Leinster … We know that this is the basis of the Irish game, whether it is offensive or defensive rucks. Their biggest strength is their structure, their organization, their precision. Every ruck is planned, there are always the right supports. Defensively, we will have to try to upset them in this. And, offensively, be very clean. They have very good players in front, especially the third row. It’s our strength too, but we’ll have to be even more precise and even better during this final.
What did you learn from the recipe of the XV of France who beat Ireland in the last Tournament? It’s a team that holds the ball a lot. So discipline. We know that when they approach our goal line, they are very hard to defend. After discipline, that doesn’t mean lowering the intensity so as not to make mistakes. You have to know how to gauge to find the necessary intensity, while keeping lucidity. What Ronan told us is don’t watch them play. If we have a second of hesitation when we want to do something, it will be too hard, they will put their game in place. You have to be on the initiative and let go. Do what you know how to do: defend hard, go strong, keep the ball in attack, increase the playing time if necessary.
