A few days before receiving the Carcassonnais neighbor in the national semi-finals (Saturday May 10, 7 p.m.), the captain of Narbonne Paul Belzons confided in the challenges and keys to this important derby. But also on his desire to see Narbonne in Pro D2.
How do you approach This semi-final against the neighbor Audois who is, beyond being a semi-final, a derby?
That’s it, we’re at it. We worked a lot to get there. Our main goal was to finish among the First two of the ranking at the end of the season. It’s done. Now it’s the final sprint, luckily we can play a derby at home so These are interesting matches. We start rugby early to play these kinds of matches. These are issues, a semi-final against our Carcassonnais neighbor, it will be a nice match.
What should we keep from victory at the same stage of the competition last season against Carcassonne (23-20 in extra time)?
Last season’s victory is really played on details. On still sees it, a month ago, They came to win with us (Victory of USC 17-13 in Narbonne on April 12, editor’s note). These are stake matches, it will hit hard, it will bang. This will be played on CHe who makes the most mistakes. We will have to make the least possible mistakesbe conquering in conquest, strong in defense and score when possible. The goal will be to be exposed as little as possible.
The Carcassonnais came to win at home a month ago, as you said, do you think they leave with a slight psychological advantage?
Perhaps, they came to win a month ago. We also won them at home six months ago (18-15 on the mermaid in Carcassonne on November 29, editor’s note). One everywhere, ball in the center. The final phase matches are different, it is not necessarily always the best that wins. On the challenges, this is playing the least mistakes. This is why we will have to be applied throughout the match, make the least faults as possible. So that at the end, we can access the final.
Carcassonne comes out of a dam with zero received points. What will you have to offer to blow up the lock when you know that you produce an offensive rugby?
Yes of course. We will have to see the weather conditions. Afterwards, it is true that our business is to play rugby, to hold the ball on long sequences. You will also have to be strong in front because they have a hell of a pack. So we will have to stand in front. We are lucky to be able to play in front of our audience and our supporters, it will be Really a hell of a match, in the end, it’s a home game. But for Carcassonne, it’s almost the same, they are half an hour.
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We have complete confidence in the players who will return
Regarding the workforce, there are several important packages: Clément Esteriola, Charles Malet, Peter Betham in particular which will be absent. How are you going to remedy these important absences?
It’s the game, it’s uDo not long season. We played a lot, the bodies are tired. But we are lucky to have the depth of bench. We have complete confidence in the players who will return. The goal will be to put them in the best conditions. Even if Today, it’s true that we lose a lot of leaders. We will rely on guys who have played a little less but who are fully part of the workforce.
In this group, there are still several experienced players. We think of you, but also Pierrick Nova or Boris Goutard who have known several final phases with the club. As leaders, which levers do you activate to motivate the whole group as such matches approaches?
It is not complicated. If the day of the match, the motivation is not there, it does not is useless to enter the field. For a semi-final at home in front of our audience with a derby, motivation is all found, it is 120 %. As much on our side as of theirs. I do not worry about motivation, we will have it. Everything will be to have a flawless motivation and to be as much as possible in the rule without getting lost.
Does evolve at the Sports and Friendship Park in the semi-finals and then possibly in the final adds an additional motivation?
Of course but if the final had not taken place in Narbonne, the motivation would have been the same. To have the final at home, you have to win absolutely. For the moment, we don’t think about itArce that if we already think of the final before playing the semi-final, for me, it’s a trap. A month ago, we failed at home against Carcassonne so we are really keen to redeem ourselves and make a beautiful semi-final to make the Narbonne people dream and all this city.
Is it an obsession within the group to find the Pro D2 three years after having left it?
When we played in Pro D2, and we play in a lower division, without offending the national which is a real marathon, we want to return to Pro D2. You play rugby to rub better than you, to play big games. Today, the challenge that is the rise in Pro D2 animates everyone. This is why Narbonne manages to bring large -scale players, They know very well that the level of Narbonne is not the national. Today, we all want to go to pro D2, we all want to be champions of France And leave a trace in the history of the Narbonne club. LIn motivation, it is there, it is to leave a little bit of us in this club even if it will exist whatever happens after our passage. If you can put a small line in addition on the club’s record, it would be magnificent.
 before the semi-final against Carcassonne){kind=link}