Thomas Ramos (back of Stade Toulousain, French champion and winner of the Champions Cup): “Winning a title has a special flavour, but doing the double is even more so. It’s double joy, double satisfaction, double happiness. A month ago, we came for the European Cup. It wasn’t planned. But we said to ourselves that it would be a shame if we didn’t manage to win the Top 14, not to come.
We are very happy to come back this (SATURDAY) evening, to show the two trophies at the Capitol. It’s rare. We have to take advantage of it, savor it. We have a crowd behind us, a city that eats rugby, that talks rugby, that lives rugby. We have to, out of respect for our supporters, be there for them, and simply thank them.
There is no doubt that next year, the teams will come back with a lot of ambition to be able to take our two titles away from us. It will be up to us to continue working as we do so well to defend them as best we can. We are happy to be on vacation because, believe it or not, it has been a very long year. We know that we can relax, sit on a chair and enjoy the moment.
Thibaud Flament (Stade Toulousain second row): “We are very used to it here but we have to know how to savor the moments we experience here each time. It’s always special times and it’s a pleasure to come here. It’s great to be able to share this with all the supporters.
Every year, things are reset. It’s been a few seasons that things have been going well for us. But we know that while we’re working, there are other teams that are inspired, that are progressing, that are working hard and that are trying to get to the forefront. You always have to be ready to respond to that.
“At the beginning of the season, there are almost all the arguments to say that if we do nothing at the end, it’s understandable (…) And we finish the year with two titles”
This is exceptional. In the end, at the start of the season, there are almost every argument to say that if we don’t do anything at the end, it’s understandable. We have injuries, a World Cup with lots of players who are not available for a while, and we end the year with two titles. It shows the great character, the good state of mind, the work of the staff and all the players. It’s a great reward.
We had already let off some steam after the European Cup. We really enjoyed ourselves. But it’s true that we were keen to finish the season on a positive note and not spoil the end of the season with a defeat. We didn’t sleep much. We celebrated with all the guys, the club employees, the partners. We’re going to enjoy a few days before going on holiday.”
Ange Capuozzo (Stade Toulousain fullback): “For the group, for the club, it’s a unique moment. Having this crowd when arriving, seeing all these supporters come for us, it gives a reason for everything we do.
The last try in the final against UBB? It’s incredible because it shows our state of mind and our playing identity. It describes a bit of everything we’ve done this season. It’s also nice to be able to all take part in the party, to be at the level. It’s incredible to end the season in this way. I admit that I only had one idea, it was to go there and finish the action. I had the in-goal line in my sights. I had to go there.
“The season has been very long (…) It’s exhausting. That’s why we need to reward ourselves for all these efforts”
It’s a real adrenaline rush. I talked about it a lot with my family afterwards, but for a good half hour after the final, I felt a bit like I was knocked out, like my eyes were foggy because the atmosphere was so incredible. The Stade-Vélodrome makes noise when everyone gets involved. It was an incredible moment.
The season has been very long. We started the summer preparation for the World Cup on July 4th. For my part, I leave again on Monday with Italy on tour, so I’m not on vacation yet. But it’s exhausting. That’s why we need to reward ourselves for all this effort.”
