Reactions after Vannes-ASBH: “The best didn’t win”, “we’re gypsies”, “fucking confident”

Pierre Caillet, Sam Marques et Clément Ancely après la défaite en demi-finale de Pro D2. MIDI LIBRE – JULES POQUET

Après la défaite de Béziers à Vannes en demi-finale de Pro D2 (27-21) ce vendredi 31 mai, staffs et joueurs se sont présentés en conférence de presse.

Pierre Caillet (ASBH manager) : "We feel frustration . We have a heavy heart, that’s what I said in the locker room at the end of the match. There is a lot of sadness. We didn't want it to stop, we wanted it to go further. We could have played together for a thousand more years. There is a lot of pride, we still showed panache, we played our rugby. Some say that you have to take penalties in moments like that. But we’re not like that, we don’t care, it’s by playing like that that we won the whole season.

Vannes was pragmatic. They score two tries on pick and go and we give them one. We had three attempts refused. We believed in it until the end with this last ball going into touch. It could work for us. The best team didn't win tonight, that's my feeling. In defeat, we remained ourselves.

I'm fucking confident about the future. I can't wait for the holidays to end so I can meet up with the guys. It’s a story about men. Something more is needed in this current rugby and we have it.

We have awakened the old demon of Béziers. It’s huge that the public is coming back. See the 800 supporters travel 13 hours on the bus, the 3000 people on the Place de la Madeleine. Damn that feels good. In Béziers, we have a temperament, a somewhat particular character. We're a bit gypsy sometimes, and we like each other that way."

🔚 Les rouge & bleu tombent les armes à la main contre Vannes après un énorme combat ❌

La saison se termine en demi-finale…

Un grand merci aux nombreux supporters pour avoir soutenu le groupe jusqu'en Bretagne ! 💪#AquiEsBesiers 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/NSINHopmlF

— ASBH Officiel (@ASBHOfficiel) May 31, 2024

Samuel Marques (ASBH scrum-half) : "As I have told the guys, I've been through a lot. There, it’s a lot of frustration, it’s hard. But tonight, I'm proud of the guys. We showed our face, the one we showed all season. This last action shows all the heart we have put into it all season. We are not far from the Brive remake. I felt Vannes feverish. We didn’t give up, we didn’t necessarily doubt despite thirteen points difference at one point.

I arrived in this group after an exceptional World Cup (with Portugal). I was keen to get back on track quickly, I felt there was something to do. I found friends again, we live really well together. Despite this defeat, we are proud to have awakened this city of Béziers, even if we would have liked to be in Toulouse."

Clément Ancely (third line and captain of the ASBH) : "The general feeling is shared. There is both pride in what we showed this evening, pride in what we have done for eleven months, and disappointment because we are competitors. We would have wanted and loved to bring all the people of Biterrois to Toulouse. Disappointment is stronger than pride at the moment. We're going to have it in our way for a while.

I was born in Béziers, I knew it was going to be something strong personally. But collectively, I really didn't expect that, it was strong. All the players in the group have returned, some on their own. This group is exceptional, they don't take themselves seriously, they laugh all day long. Sometimes, we almost said to ourselves: what are we doing here? But at the same time, we play good rugby. With Dax, we were perhaps not expected at the table of Provence, Grenoble, Vannes… We can be proud of what we have done."

RC Vannes

Maxime Lafage (half opening of Vannes) : "I don’not realize at all at the moment that we are in the final. I'm just happy to give that back to the staff, the club and this public. This audience doesn't necessarily know rugby but they follow us everywhere. I don't realize that we have entered into history. I had the impression of being at the Vélodrome when I arrived. The road is still long.

A large part of the squad had not played for three weeks. We built the match little by little, we never panicked. We hit the nail on the head at the end of the match and we defended this last action well. We showed maturity."

Romaric Camou (Vannes winger) : "We saw at the end of the match the happiness it had brought. The difference wasn't much. There is perhaps a lucky star for us this year: the refused try, the penalty on the Marques post. We defended our line all together. The coin lands on the right side. We deserve it too, I think. There was a bit of waste in the first half and we never managed to kill the match against a very good team from Béziers. In the end, I didn't see them scoring a hundred meter try, I didn't think we could lose like that, knowing that we are one of the best defenses in the championship."

Jean-Noël Spitzer (Vannes manager) : "This final is a relief. It’s a scenario that resembled what we experienced three years ago against Biarritz. We haven't managed to keep them away from more than one brand. Béziers is 3rd in the championship, different from the others, capable of playing from afar. It doesn’t necessarily have an organization that you can read. The scrum half, he goes left, right, it’s difficult.

We have already played high-stakes matches, final phase matches, and maintenance matches. It was an important match for us. We absolutely wanted to go to the final. We're not on vacation. We're going to prepare for a finale, something we really wanted to do."