Rugby: “Believing yourself to have reached your best level is the beginning of the descent”, insists Alldritt back in La Rochelle

His two-month break after the World Cup with the Blues was for the third row and captain of La Rochelle Grégory Alldritt “work on the future”, he confided in an interview with AFP before the decisive reception of Leicester on Sunday in the Champions Cup.

How were your long vacations, which are not so frequent in the industry? Grégory Alldritt: They did me a lot of good. Going back down to the South (he's from the Gers), going to my brother's wedding in Scotland... These are things that are important to me and that I don't necessarily manage to do in normal times. As for fishing, I left the rod in the garage with the bad weather. I didn't have any luck on that one. But I did other sports, notably a lot of golf, padel or jogging by the sea. Things that I am not used to doing.

Can we completely cut rugby? It depends. We put the whole strategy side aside. On the other hand, I watched all the matches and I was like crazy in front. There was a lot of frustration. The first two or three weeks (after the World Cup), I completely cut off sport. I had to quickly start again because my body shape doesn't allow me to deviate too much. I tend to gain weight quickly (smile).

Was it a necessity or a desire? I could have played rugby in November or December, but I had this desire because the season is long, there are still five months to go. Physically, I felt like I needed to recover. So it was a little bit of both. If I could redo it, I would. It's work on the future, to come back even stronger later. The objective was to regenerate better in order to come back better.

Your return coincided with two victories in the Top 14. Now it's time for the Champions Cup, in which Stade Rochelais, double title holder, got off to a bad start...Apart from the first two matches lost in this competition, I find that we are rather similar to previous years. The whole team is disappointed not to have won at least one of these two matches. We are still racing. We must continue to progress and “perform” in line with the last 15 days. We have to win this weekend (against Leicester) and give pleasure to our public again.

Do you also have the French XV in mind as the Six Nations Tournament approaches? I have kept in touch with William Servat (coach of the French forwards), who gives me feedback on the matches. It seems to me that the list (for the Tournament) comes out next week, so we'll wait. I hope my break won't change much. I had already spoken to the staff about my choice and they understood it perfectly so I don't think there will be a problem. We have a Tournament with three receptions which is, in this kind of configuration, conducive to winning. Although it won't be easy, far from it.

Also read: Top 14: “I feel like I was 26 again,” relishes Alldritt

What are your goals for 2024? 2023 was an emotional year. First with the second European champion title for Stade Rochelais. Then, a World Cup in France, even if it is a defeat in the quarter-finals. It was incredible emotions, with incredible popular support. For 2024, I want to continue winning titles. Once you taste it, you just want to come back. I want to fill the trophy cabinet as much as possible. And for that, I have to continue to progress to always bring more to the team. Progress on the pitch, but also mentally. You should never think you have reached your best level, otherwise I think it is the beginning of the descent. So I tell myself that I always have something to do to improve.