The Blue Stars (Marseille) will face the Kangourous (Pessac) this weekend for the conference seimifinal of the France U19 playsoffs. Both teams are undefeated the Kangourous are the french U19 runner up in 2017 and the Blue Stars are trying to make their make as one of the premiere clubs in Europe. We had the opportunity to speak with Blue Stars Head Coach Johan Debrabant.
EE: How does it feel to be undefeated this season ?
Debrabant: We had a very good season, undefeated for 7 games. We managed to keep the team healthy and focused on our goals : be one of the 8 best teams in France.
EE: You will be playing last years runner up this will be a big test for the team, how are you preparing ?
Debrabant: We know very well our next opponents (the Kangs) as we lost against them last year. They’re a very tough team with an explosive offense and a strong defense. We managed to have a lot of tapes from their season games to be able to prepare the players the best way we can.
EE: What will be the keys to winning ?
Debrabant: I think the key of the game will be our defense and their ability to stop the Kangs offense. If they can get us the ball with a good position on the field we’ll let our playmakers do the job.
EE: Who are your captains this year on offense and defense.
Debrabant: Our captains are #45 Jérémy Surace (LB/TE); #35 Tom Brundu (RB); #52 Nasser Assoumani (OL/DL) ; #64 Théo Rostaing (OL)
This will be a great game for both teams. Will the Blue stars make their mark as a elite team in France or will the Kangs move on to get another shot at the French title?