Lyon-Toulouse. Xavier Garbajosa: “We welcome the best team and the best players in France”
By Simon Galinier
Published on
It’s THE shock of the weekend fr Top 14. Sunday October 27 (9:05 p.m.), at the end of the 11e daytime, Lyons (5e) welcomes the chief Toulouse, at the Matmut Stadium in Gerland. A poster taken very seriously by the LOU of Xavier Garbajosawho knows the Toulouse house perfectly, and knows that the challenge promises to be immense, even against greatly reduced Stadistes.
“For any rugby player, hosting Toulouse remains a special match”
Indeed, on the Stade Toulousain side, no less than 12 players will not make the trip to the capital of Gaul this Sunday: Baille, flamingoChocobars, Cros, JaminetFouyssac (wounded), Dupont (suspended), Jelonch, Merchant, Ramos, Mallia and Ainu’u (rest). But the manager of LOU Xavier Garbajosa remains on his guard all the same: “I hear that the people of Toulouse will come diminished, but they still have 3 very high level teamsso I think we have to ignore these things, ”explains the former international three-quarters (32 caps) who played in Toulouse from 1994 to 2007, before continuing:
Again, we try to focus on us. It’s the most important thing to know what you want to do on the pitch and you want to do things with it. The boys work on a daily basis and give themselves the means to progress in the game sectors.
For the former technician of La Rochelle and Montpellier, Xavier Garbajosa, “receiving Toulouse remains an important and special match for any rugby player, because it is the best team in France with the best players”, neither more nor less. The interested party then gave some keys to overcome the Toulouse armada:
We will first have to compete, and respond with the commitment, investment and aggressiveness that the people of Toulouse will offer us. The fight of conquest and the ground game are going to be important. It will be non-negotiable parameters if we want to compete with them and give ourselves the chance to play a good match.
Lambey: “There is more excitement when you play this kind of team”
Leader of the Lyon pack, the second international line Felix Lambey (28 years old; 10 selections) shares the opinion of his manager by explaining that the source of motivation is all found before welcoming the twenty-time champion of France. “When we receive Toulouse, I think there is no need for big speeches. It’s a very good team. We are going to play on Sunday evening, there will be a lot of people at the stadium and in front of the television. It’s a great opportunity to play a great match at Gerland”, explains the LOU vice-captain who hopes to maintain the good momentum set in motion before the international break (4 wins in the last 5 days): “On a well-finished boulder, there is more confidence and certainty. It goes together. A lot of guys have played and been good. On a group that turns well. We are attacking this new boulder with more enthusiasm,” says Félix Lambey.
Home, the LOU remains on 5 games without defeat against Stade Toulousain (4 wins and 1 draw) and has not lost on home soil for 5 years against the Rouge et Noir (9-17, November 26, 2017). A warning sign? “Until now, we’ve managed to play big games and it’s true that it’s been good for us. These are games that we like to play more and that are more exciting. We’re not going to lie to each other, there’s a little more excitement when you play this kind of team. “A shock programmed this Sunday, November 27 October (9:05 p.m.) which should keep us in suspense.
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