After a full match against Argentina last weekend, Stade Toulousain winger Yoann Huget, who was not yet retained by coach Jacques Brunel, is back to Fiji on Saturday. Not enough to give too much confidence to the player, who knows that the road is long before the World Cup in Japan.
Yoann, you were not initially on the list of the coach, so we imagine the pleasure for you to play and hold against Fiji?
Actually at first I was not called. But I waited my turn, I knew to do the round back, there were wounds and finally I was reminded. I was able to take my chances against Argentina, so I'm happy to be called again for this match.
Jacques Brunel has relied on his desire to renew the same players to give confidence and automatisms to this team in France, less than a year from the World Cup. When one of his players is a relief?
It's always good to be in continuity after a victory, it allows to have automatisms that are installed. It is normal, at one year of the World Cup, to want to install a frame. After, for the players, all the games played are good to take. We know that now the selections will count for sure, so we just try to take a maximum of pleasure. Being part of this tour, it can be projected perhaps on the tournament (which begins on February 1) but by no means on the World Cup. We will see after the tournament, because we all know that between the group that will make the tournament and the one that will go to Japan there can be a lot of changes.
See also: XV of France. Yoann Huget, winning return for the winger who is no longer a blue
You've never had a chance with the World Cups (exclusion before that of 2011, injury before the 2015 ...) You necessarily think about this edition 2019?
I think I may have a little more excitement than others. After that allows me to take every game one after another and give me 100% because I know that in this team of France everything can go very fast, so I just want to take pleasure. I want to grow with this team, and find the same happiness as ours after the victory against Argentina, because we sometimes forget that it is for these sensations that we play rugby .
To come back to this match against Fiji, what are you waiting for? Are there any pitfalls to avoid?
It's going to take a big collective performance, it's a great team, who has been fighting Scotland for a long time. Every time we beat the Fijians it was because our collective had taken over their individualities that are impressive. They are all holders in their clubs, but if we are precise, we will make the difference. We must defend together, have fronts that control their subject as we have seen against Argentina. If we go out of this plan, it could be complicated for us. Do not fall into a game that they like, they love turn-over balloons and the difficulty will be in these phases of play. They play on instinct, they love it so we do not really know what they will do on the ground.
It is a game that can benefit the team of France, by their waste?
First we will have to focus on ourselves, have a big defense so that we can then exploit the balloons they can give us. But the most important thing is it's going to be our collective, who can give us good balls.
The Stade de France should sound hollow this weekend, it's something that touches you?
As long as we have the jersey of the French team, we have no message to pass to the fans except to win. That's what they expect, so today we have to beat any team. We do not have the leeway to "overplay" the show. We have a specific game plan, we must respect to get the upper hand. It is this collective strength that we want to show Saturday night. If we come out of this tour with two wins, despite this defeat against South Africa, it would be beneficial for everyone, and it would necessarily give confidence.