Your last tenure in the Top 14 dates back to October 16 during the trip to Pau. Held back by a hamstring injury, you relapsed for your return against Leicester on December 11. How are you doing ?
I had a little trouble coming back from this groin injury. By compensating, I damaged myself a little, I took a little time to come back. Against Leicester, I hurt myself again in the same place. I reworked well and for three weeks,…
Your last tenure in the Top 14 dates back to October 16 during the trip to Pau. Held back by a hamstring injury, you relapsed for your return against Leicester on December 11. How are you doing ?
I had a little trouble coming back from this groin injury. By compensating, I damaged myself a little, I took a little time to come back. Against Leicester, I hurt myself again in the same place. I reworked well and for three weeks, I have rather good feelings. I’m happy to be here. It’s easier to come back to a team that is doing well.
How do you approach this match against Castres who are launching a big block for UBB?
It’s a very important match to start this big series. We have a very compact block. You have to take opportunities as soon as they arise. A home match should not be missed, especially against a direct competitor.
Castres has chained a lot in recent weeks, while the UBB was forced to rest last weekend (match in Leicester postponed). Could it have an impact?
You have to see the positive point for us in terms of freshness because since November, the matches have been linked and we leave a lot of juice in the heart of winter. What is certain is that Castres will have the ability to attack this meeting hard, after two very high level European matches. At the start of the match, you will have to be ready and not be surprised by the pace of Castres which will probably be very high.
These matches against the CO are always very tight, committed, rather tense… Is a rivalry in the process of being created?
I think over the years this little rivalry has been created for several reasons. When Christophe (Urios) was not there yet, the Castres used to come to Chaban to pull the rug out from under us for qualification. And since Christophe is there, there is necessarily a particular context between the two clubs. Every time they play against us, they want to show Christophe that it’s still the team he built. I imagine that’s it. In the end, it always gives matches with tension. We always feel a special week. In this kind of match, it’s the state of mind and the aggressiveness that make the difference.
The first leg at Pierre-Fabre ended in a draw (23-23) in September.
FRED SCHEIBER / AFP
Is this legacy between Christophe Urios and Castres a heavy burden for UBB players?
No, it’s rugby. It’s good to play matches like that, to have this type of tension, that’s why we play this sport. I think that on our side like that of Castres, we are all happy to play this type of match which is checked from the start of the season. You have to win it.
Does the current ranking of the two clubs add tension?
I think so. For the moment, we are leaders, they are 3and and come out of a very good European phase. For me, it’s the team in form at the moment. Inevitably, they will be keen to show that their level is in these first three places. For us, it will be a huge reveal, the opportunity to make a small difference in the standings.
Against the CO, isn’t the main key to the match keeping your cool for 80 minutes?
It was the key word when we moved there (23-23 to go). We had to stay at 15 throughout the game, to avoid a guy getting out of the game by clashing with an opponent or falling into excessive aggressiveness and nervousness. We must keep a cool head, stay connected to each other and face as a team rather than unpin.
What is the hardest thing to do against this team?
It is not easy. In the first leg, on the tackle on Max (Lucu, tackled late by Ryno Pieterse who received a red card and 12 weeks of suspension), we could have gone in any direction. It’s sure, it’s the opponent who brings you the most to fairly high levels of nervousness.