Holder in the first three matches of the Blues in the Tournament, the Lyon winger will continue against England. And continue to ert themselves with the Blues before the World Cup.
The mythical enclosure of Twickenham
“I had the chance to play there with the France team at 7. The stadium was not full that day. I felt the atmosphere of the stadium, the size and the height of the stands. Otherwise, I didn’t play XV at Twickenham. If I have the chance to play it this weekend, I will enjoy it, for sure. It’s legendary for a rugby player to have the chance to play in this stadium. It would be something I will remember.”
England’s long losing streak
“Since 2005, no victory in the Tournament at Twickenham. So yes, we have that statistic behind us. It will be up to us to ward off fate. We prepared for this match as needed. We will have to put in the ingredients this weekend to hope to change this statistic. (…) We quickly talked about it, but the objective for us is above all the Six Nations Tournament. We know we still have a card to play. Our goal is to stay alive in this Tournament. We have two matches left, we know that mathematically it is still possible to do something. We want to score points first against England and then against Wales, to have a nice surprise at the end.
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A lot of footwork from the English?
“We worked a lot on their strategy. We know that they use footwork a lot. They went back to what they used to do a bit. A lot of pressure footwork, candles… We saw it in their style of play. We are preparing to defend against these aults. It is also part of our style of play, our strategy of regaining ground, of possession, of dispossession. It’s strategic.”
Its new status in Blue
“I don’t know if we can feel like a starter in the France team. I started in the first three matches. Afterwards, I don’t feel like a member of this team. I had the chance to play the first three matches of the Six Nations, but nothing is certain. My goal is to keep working hard every week. I know very well that I don’t have my name written on the seats. I will continue to work hard to have the chance to stay there. The hardest thing will be to stay level there.”
I try not to take up too much space because I’m one of the new guys. I have to stay in my place, it’s normal
Ethan Dumortier
The right wagon for the World Cup?
“It is the right time. Better late than never. But above all, I focus on the team’s objectives. The objective is to have the best level of play so that it raises the level of the team. (…) I tried to fit in well. I try to be the cool guy, not to be too boring. I try not to take up too much space because I’m one of the new guys. I have to stay in my place, it’s normal. There is a hierarchy which is logical and which is the same whether in the French team or in the club. I try to learn from each player, to take a bit of their experience that I don’t have.
Its level of freshness
“Physically, I feel good. For me, it’s a bit new. I am lucky, compared to some, to be a little younger. So I feel pretty good. We are lucky to be followed by a whole panel of doctors, physiotherapists, a whole medical staff who pay attention to the form of the players. You have to be smart, know how to know yourself, manage yourself, know what you are capable of taking. (…) The protected players have a week (to recover), but we still had training to do. With GPS of the XV of France. We had to maintain a workload so as not to be dropped and to maintain our momentum. The level at which we play is still important.
Interviewed in Marcoussis