New France coach Guy Noves warned on Friday against sky-rocketing expectations, insisting that he is fallible, unlike fictional hero Zorro.
Noves’s appointment as France coach following four dismal years under Philippe Saint-Andre has been welcomed with great enthusiasm but the 61-year-old is keen to remind fans that he has had his defeats.
Although he guided Toulouse to a record four European Cup titles and eight French league crowns — he is a legend in that corner of south-west France — he says he can’t work miracles.
“I have to say that I haven’t arrived, as some people say, like Zorro or with a magic wand,” said Noves.
“That doesn’t exist. I’ve had a certain number of failures in my sporting life, big failures, very important ones, which allowed me to take stock a bit and most of all to react to that kind of performance with humility,” he said in reference to France’s humiliating 62-13 World Cup quarter-final defeat to New Zealand.
“I once conceded 77 points to the English and managed to bounce back, so I know that failure and success are part of our job.”
Noves was in charge of then-European champions Toulouse when they suffered a crushing 77-17 thrashing at Wasps in the following season’s competition in October 1996.
Toulouse still won the group and went on to reach the semi-finals of what was only the second European Cup season, while Wasps didn’t even get out of the pool.
After a four-year period in which France never finished higher than fourth in the Six Nations, failed to beat Wales, Ireland, New Zealand or South Africa and were humiliated at the World Cup, Noves says improving results is going to be a key objective.
“Our aim will be to get as many (positive) results as possible — that’s obvious — to give our best. I would say that’s imperative, it’s the absolute minimum.
“But above all to give the kids the desire, when they’ve seen a match, to go straight out to a field and practise what they’ve just seen on TV.”
Noves will take charge of his first match on February 6 against Italy in the Six Nations.
However, he admitted he does not know if Saint-Andre’s captain Thierry Dusautoir will be part of his squad.
Noves said he has yet to speak to Dusautoir, who was also his captain at Toulouse, about the 34-year-old’s future plans.
“Everything’s clear with that respect: if there’s one person who knows what we’re going to do with Thierry Dusautoir, it’s him.
“We still haven’t had a meeting with him because he’s back playing (for Toulouse) and it’s not the foremost priority at the moment.”