Paris Cockerels won Bordeaux Bombers in the French competition

In France, the national competition is ongoing. On Saturday 23rd, two of the best historical teams in France were facing each other in Saint Médard en Jalles (venue were was hosted the last Axios Euro Cup).

The ground wasn’t as nice as the Euro Cup ones as the Rugby and rain seasons restarted but it was a nice day to play footy.

The game was really nice to watch and both teams were evenly match. Each team had a lot of opportunities to win the game and the experience of the Paris Cockerels helped them to secure the win a couple of minutes before the final whistle. The final kick of the Bombers was touched by one of the Cockerels giving the Bombers a behind and a 5 points win to the visiting side.

Final Score: Bordeaux Bombers 12.10.82 – 13.9.87 Paris Cockerels

 

Will Maley, coach of the Bordeaux Bombers and Angus Makintosh, follower of the Paris Cockerels (one of the best on the ground that day) shared their feelings about the game :

 

Will Maley :

1/ How was the game?

The game was played in great spirit and intensity from both sides. Obviously for us it was disappointing to come away without the win, but to Paris’ credit they held their composure and were particularly strong defensively.

2/ What were for you the main moments of the game? Why did Bordeaux lose the game?

We had a great start to all the quarters which is a credit to the team. It shows they were switched on from the first minute which as a coach is fantastic to see as you know they are there to play. As the quarters played out we tended to have a few minutes where our intensity dropped or we couldn’t find a way to goal. When you are playing against a side like Paris that has a lot more experience in the sport this comes back to hurt you. I thought when we switched Clement (ruck) to defense and brought Alex in to ruck we started to control the game as we were able to dry up their forward movement, sadly Alex got injured which impacted us. Paris had a great match from their full back who marked anything that came in to the forward zone meaning that we had to attempt goals from too far out or scrap for opportunist goals from the ground. A few indiscipline acts and situations where our new players were uncertain on rules impacted us in terms of giving away free kicks which gives us more to work on. Against the best teams, these have dramatic impacts on the scoreboard. Overall, we gave ourselves every opportunity and it wasn’t through a lack of effort or desire that we weren’t able to win.

3/ What is your favorite memory of this game ?

I would have to say the tackle that Pascal put on in front of the Paris bench was fantastic! Beyond that, I thought when our play clicked we played some incredible footy and now our challenge is to do it more often.

4/ What does this loss mean for the Bombers ?

From an overall perspective it shows us where we are at. For me and the team we are getting more of an understanding on what we need to do to improve. For a team of French playing against a team with many Australians you learn a lot tactically and technically. To win the league, we now have a match against Toulouse which is a must win for us to stay in the hunt and we will work hard over the next 3 weeks to give ourselves every chance.

5/ What are your personal/team objectives for this new season ?

For me it is my first season coaching so there is many challenges in this. When you growing up watching the game from a young age you have different ideas and perceptions, so for me it is about understanding where the guys are at and how we can build their skills and understanding of a sport that has many subtleties. I also want to help the club build awareness in the community so that we get good crowds at home games, build our player numbers and hopefully one day a second Bordeaux side. For the viability of the competition, I am a big believer that 2 clubs in the bigger centres such as Bordeaux, Toulouse, Paris, etc would greatly strengthen the competition. For the team, we are probably in a year of transition, we have had a number of long term players move on for travel & family reasons and we have some great guys who have joined the team and offer an incredible future for the club. We don’t want to have a dip in our performance and competitiveness so expect to see the Bombers there fighting for the league and the various cups on offer.

 

Angus Makintosh :

1/ How was the game?

The game was one of the most competitive I’ve played in. It was a real pleasure to have a physical match that was played in good spirits where both teams were very evenly matched too.

2/ What were for you the main moments of the game? What helped the Paris Cockerels to win the game?

I think some of the last ditch defending at the end from the likes of Mathieu and Gaz was probably what helped us. Nico managed to get a miraculous touch on a shot that would’ve been the goal that won Bordeaux the game so that had to be the key moment.

3/ What is your favorite memory of this game ?

Kicking a run-around banana goal with the left foot at the end felt pretty good! That or the final whistle.

4/ What does this win mean for the Cockerels ?

I’ve only been with the Cockerels for a couple of months but you could tell it meant a huge amount. It was such a tough match against good opposition that we were delighted to win.

5/ What do you do to involve new local players ?

We’ve held ‘bring a friend’ training sessions where every member of the team has to bring someone. We’re also holding a training session for a Parisian school next week to try to involve more youngsters.

6/ What are your personnal objectives for this new season ?

I’m not here for very long! But probably to try and help the Cocks as much in the league until I leave. And maybe come back if they reach the final!