Test Match – Gonzalo Quesada (Argentina): "Surprised to see Doumayrou come out of the team" – Test Match 2018 – Rugby

Rugbyrama: Nicolas Sanchez, the opener of the Argentine team said earlier this week: "The team that will win on Saturday, will win the match at the World Cup" (note: the two teams are in the same pool). Do you share his opinion?

Gonzalo Quesada: No, not at all. The World Cup is in ten months. The two respective staffs work in the perspective of the World Cup. But neither of them has any certainty. In September of next year, the two teams may be different, the dynamics will not be the same either. On our side, we work a lot on our game systems, our culture, our identity. It takes time. That's why this match will have no influence on the one we will play in Japan. I remember 2007: France had made very good preparation matches while Argentina had struggled to beat Belgium for example. And yet, the Pumas had won the opening match at the Stade de France.

What did you remember from the match of the France team against South Africa?

G.Q. : I did not see the match live because that day, we faced Ireland. So I started by reading the comments, see what was said a little to the right, left. So I thought the Blues had missed their match. And when I saw the meeting earlier this week, my opinion changed. As I watched the images, I wondered when France could have lost the thread. I do not see too much what we do South Africans to win this game. For having played them twice in the Rugby Championships, I can badure you that the France team has made a solid match. The Boks have not often crossed the French first curtain, much less than in the Rugby Championships. This is the first time I saw the Boks so neutralized by an opposing defense. And then, I found very interesting the alternation set up in the game by the staff. Lopez found some interesting situations thanks to the foot and there were also several net crossings. I still see this action Teddy Thomas, pretty incredible. I thought instantly, and knowing Geoffray Doumayrou, he was going to be on the brink of leaving the field, so he seemed angry. And then, to finish, I find it too exaggerated to say that this team of France has no mind. Really.

For you, the team of France does not suffer from a mental deficit?

G.Q. : No really not. Opposite, it was still South Africa who had just beat the Blacks. On our side, we beat them by having a little more success at the end but on a similar scenario. And I do not think we are more or less mentally strong. The proof in Australia was twenty points and we lost.

What can change the presence of Gaël Fickou in your approach to the meeting?

G.Q. : I do not know what led Jacques (Brunel) to make this choice. I was surprised to see Doumayrou come out of the team. For me, there was no concern about his performance. "Dum" is an excellent player, but from the outside, it's hard to explain, I do not have all the parameters. That said, I discovered he could go from twelve to thirteen during the game. At the time I was training the French Stadium, I used it only at the second center. In short, I imagine that Jacques wants to take advantage of the shape of Fickou and perhaps bring uncertainty in attack. Fickou is for me more naturally a first center, Bastareaud a second. It will force us to be vigilant about their positioning. We had planned some things, in this area of ​​play, to fetch some space, that we finally put in the trash when we knew that Fickou was going to play. For us, the badociation Fickou-Bastareaud will therefore require more adaptation.