"The idendity of a team is built away from home"

In Castres or La Rochelle, the FCG never gave up, even if they came back with 0 points.

"It's a bit like the identity we want to give to this team. That, even if you play in a league where home games are very important, what you show away is very important. We think that the character of a team is built on away games. It's always easier to play at home. When we go away, that's where we want to show that this team has character. A lot of the good work we do at home or during the week can fall through if we take big loses away. That's why all games are important, by their content, by their character, by the image they give us. The more good we are during away games, the more the other teams, the media, everyone will have a different image of this Grenoble team. »

In the last home game, the LOU scored over 50 points in Montpellier. Is that a prospect that scares you?

"Rugby is a sport of combat, of investment. The only fear I have today is that if we don't put as much or more intensity into it as we did for the match against Perpignan, it can go very quickly in the wrong direction, against a very good team of Lyon. I think the players are aware of that. We've been preparing for a big game there. We took a little beating in the friendly match at the beginning of the season, where we didn't exist, especially on the fundamentals, the fight, the line of advantage, the conquest. Once again, it's a way of showing that we're an imrpoving team. If we don't put the ingredients in, we won't be able to hope for anything against this Lyon team. »

How do you rate the progress of the LOU, now one of the championship's favourites?

"There are no surprises. The truth is that they have made a lot of investment in this club, in this group. In addition, this team was built around a man, Pierre Mignoni, who is a friend, whom I respect very much. There is no surprise, seeing all the qualities of Pierre. He has built a very good staff around him. He's a serious guy. When you look at his team today, they are at his image. We want to be a team that belongs in the Top 14. We have a small appetite with our president, our partners, to give ourselves more and more means. After that, rugby decides everything. It is important that we continue to perform well on the field. "

The line-outs will be particularly scrutinized. How did you prepare your team for this game phase?

"I hope we don't have too many line-outs (laughs). This is one of their strengths. This is an area that we have been working on since the beginning of the season, but which has not yet reached its best level. It's a big challenge. There are many teams that have been in difficulty in this area against Lyon. There will be no surprises on that. We have our little plans, we'll see if we've prepared it well. "