Initially scheduled for January 15, the summit meeting between the ACBB and Bordeaux has been postponed for a week. The cause of this postponement is not really a surprise, in these still uncertain health times. Thus, three days before the initial date…
Initially scheduled for January 15, the summit meeting between the ACBB and Bordeaux has been postponed for a week. The cause of this postponement is not really a surprise, in these still uncertain health times. Thus, three days before the initial date of the match, last Saturday, three positive cases had been declared in the ranks of the English players.
Full-back Léa Ibarlosa looks back on this painful episode for the Basque workforce to manage: “Even if we knew perfectly well that it could happen, we were inevitably somewhat disturbed by this delicate context and were above all afraid that the postponement of the meeting is not accepted. A fear shared by coach Baptiste Ibarlosa.
“Despite these positive cases, we feared having to play this match with a reduced group. Fortunately for us, thanks to the understanding of the FFBB, which I thank, the postponement has been accepted and we hope to present ourselves to the fullest of our abilities at kick-off. »
The emphasis on the physical
Two weeks have already passed since the ACBB’s last game. Also, to cope with this forced break off the court, the training sessions were focused on the physical: “We really want to be 100% ready. All this time spent without playing is necessarily difficult to manage; this is why the week was centered on intensity, with a lot of races but also training time centered on the feelings of the game”, explains Léa Ibarlosa.
Fully aware of the major challenge that awaits him, Anglet knows that he will have a lot to do but believes in his chances of success: “This is the most anticipated match of the season and we clearly have revenge to take compared to the first leg, where we were far from our best level, especially on defensive intensity (66-53 defeat, editor’s note). I expect a very tight match where we will have to rely on a solid defense to hope to win, ”concludes the player.