6 Nations Tournament – Guilhem Quirado: “The English are in the same position as we were 4 years ago”

Does a match against England have a certain flavor in a rugby player’s career?

Guilhem Guirado: It’s just a game. It is a competition unlike any other competition. There is an ancestral, historical side to the centuries of struggle between these two nations. Today, we are not there, but this thought of the past haunts us. And then there’s this legendary stadium and this atmosphere at Twickenham. You try to stay in your bubble but that’s not to say it doesn’t affect you. When you take a test, supporters celebrate and want to room with their famous people Swing low sweet chariot. It’s this atmosphere that can get to your head.

Of the ones you played, is the one you played in 2015 (55-35) still crazy?

GG: It’s a crazy competition! There was a significant crossover. After that, when you score 55 points on one side and 35 points on the other side, it highlights a great offensive performance, but defensively, it’s a disaster! That day, the British bet to win the match. We don’t have much to lose. In the end, we score goals and take the trophy away from them for a few points in goal average. It was a crazy thing, but it cost us a lot because we saw that we weren’t there defensively and some people lost their reputation in the eyes of the World Cup.

Wasn’t that the competition you were most excited to play rugby in during the Philippe Saint-Andre era?

GG: Despite the defensive lapses, it’s true that we had fun and showed some great things. In the game of rugby itself, you could see that everyone respected what was said and produced that week, and differently, everyone found their place and gave amazing things. This gave us hope for the upcoming 2015 World Cup.

It was much less pleasant, however, four years later, in 2019 (44-8). Is this your worst memory of “Crunch”?

GG: It’s complicated… We had the week after the Wales match where we had a nightmare first half (the Blues led 16-0 at half-time), and we came up with two “cap” tries. . That week was really hard to digest. We knew there would be doubts and uncertainty, we weren’t there in the preparation week for the England tournament. It should also be remembered that this came after our test loss against Fiji (14-21) in November. The confidence level, we were at an all-time low.

and ?

GG: In this match, the English used the kicking game badly. As soon as they started the game, it started… we didn’t know how to respond, we were trying to get caught tactically, physically…everywhere! Due to this, some of the players who were there on that day did not participate in the World Cup. Generally, pre-World Cup matches against England are always going to be disadvantageous for a few players. After 2019, we were on the brink of disaster. We went out with the family for a few days and then we tried to save the match. A lot of former players were very critical of us and on a personal level when I was asked to step down as captain.

Today the balance of power has been reversed. Can you say the blues are a favorite on Saturdays?

GG: Yes, we can. English rugby is in crisis with the sacking of Eddie Jones. They remember Steve Borthwick, an old timer who got results with Leicester. The British are in the same position today as they were four years ago. The way they play is further destroyed. They also have a generational problem with a squad that has changed little in four years, heavily influenced by the spine of Saracens who recently suffered relegation. So they are somewhat reproducing the Saracens game, which works in their Championship, but less internationally today, so they look to each other more.

Will the English go the distance on Saturday against an overconfident France side?

GG: I think it will take time for them to find the right formula. No one can claim to change everything with a magic wand. It is a long process. We see Scotland’s Gregor Townsend, Ireland’s Andy Farrell and France’s Fabian Calthie very regular. Over three years of work is bearing fruit today. For Saturday, we are in a positive position.

What would be the key to this “crunch” for you?

There are two ways to prepare for this competition. One, we tell ourselves that we can produce the same level of play that the Scots played against them (23-29) and blow them up like they were able to do. We use the strategy that gave the French team good recent results, which consists of putting pressure on them by doing a lot of work at home, and we see how they get out of this pressure- there. At the same time we insist that direct success is all assets on our side. Our first ten minutes against Scotland were close to perfect in terms of quality of play in the opposite 22m and if we can reproduce them over time it will be a good thing.