Gilhem, you’re going to experience your first period since September against Leinster, you have to be prepared

Now I start my season. Even if we are going to play one of the best teams in Europe. After that, we know they will be out of tune too (their last match will be against Bath 45-20 on December 11). That would be a big test. We want to see better. With this victory on the green carpet we know the adventure of the first quarter. This made people uncomfortable because it was not very “sporty”. We are all disappointed not to have played recently, in the midst of all this we have to bring rugby back and look forward to Sunday.

Are matches against Leinster always special?

Playing against them is always fun. This is a very polished rugby team with very few bugs in their system. They stopped when they pressed the button and the referee blew the whistle. It is up to us to unite. When we play the European Cup, it is the level that comes closest to the international level. We’ve going to play three-quarters of the Irish team, it’s going to be quite an experiment.
These are said to be equivalent to six months of training.
It can be said that these are the matches that mark you in life. Rhythm, competition … everything is different. This allows us to raise our standards.

What do you think about this competition format?

This is a course and a short and intensive project. There are four matches to qualify. We do not know this completely because of this format, Kovid. Last year, he was upset during the season. This year too. So we do not know how it actually works.
I admit I liked the old format with four teams in the pool.

Most?

This round of 16 round trips is exciting. In football, we have seen the possible setbacks. In rugby, it can be fun. In this sport, playing at home surpasses us. I want to extend my career in order to play to the fullest. That’s why we absolutely deserve to (smile).

You caught Covid, how do you feel?

What? Even after being locked up for ten days, I still enjoyed the old protocol with the bell ringing. More seriously, I’m in good health, and I’m never polluted anyone around me.

At least no further testing now …

That’s good news … after a year and a half of testing, it’s very nice not to blow your nose. I think we are not far from the record of the most tested people. But it is for the community and the people around it.