Geoffray Henri has been the manager of the Grenoble Federal Academy for several seasons, but he is also the manager of the French Women's Under 18 Team!
France Rugby looks back with Geoffray on the perfect journey of this young French team with three victories during the European Festival!
"France Rugby
What is your assessment of this first edition of the European Festival?
Geoffray Henry (Manager France Under 18 Women)
The results are obviously very positive in every respect, both on and off the pitch. We wanted to measure ourselves against the other nations after two years without competition. We also wanted to see where they were at. We can see that by exchanging with the people on the field, everything that has been put in place at the federation level for women's rugby is bearing fruit and we are really on track, even ahead of schedule.
France Rugby
To what do we owe it?
Geoffray Henry
It's the result of a collective effort, from the clubs to the academies and the national teams. We can see that we have girls who are physically and technically ready. Where we were pleasantly surprised is that we didn't expect to have so much precision in the game, even if we had insisted strongly on this aspect. Technically, the girls are able to move the ball all over the pitch very quickly with their hands and feet. Two years ago, we didn't do that. We were impressed by their ability to respect the game plan, which is offensive and innovative for the girls.
France Rugby
The state of mind is also a positive point?
Geoffray Henry
It's something we worked hard on during the selection camp because we started to work on the group spirit with the 40 girls selected. Obviously, when you spend time together, things get built up more and more. We also went through some travel problems, which for me were rather positive, in the sense that it was there that we saw the leaders emerge. It was also during these moments that the girls, who didn't know each other, were able to take the time to talk.
France Rugby
More than the victory over England, it's the scoreline that is impressive...
Geoffray Henry
We had a meeting with the managers at the end of the competition and this is the feedback we got. England have qualities but clearly we played too fast for this team. Our opponents were overwhelmed by this will to play until the last minute, without falling into individuality, which confirms once again that this was the right group!
France Rugby
It also confirms the structuring of Générations Bleues and the pathway to the top level?
Geoffray Henry
Physically, we saw that against nations such as England who were physically ready before us, we were present. We see that individual work pays off. We have girls in the position, even if we still have to improve on the scrum in particular, who technically have great qualities. And this is obviously worked on at the club and in the academies! The future is looking good, especially as we have quite a few players from the 2005 generation who could potentially still be with us next season.
Interview conducted by Sylvain Muzeau
Auteur : FCG Rugby