This afternoon, when meeting Mayol, Aymeric Luc will inevitably have a heavy heart. Because if they were not linear, the three seasons he spent in the harbor [de 2021 à 2024] marked his career. Because on the pitch, he will know nineteen of the Toulon players. But also because at the end of his contract last season, he believed for a long time that his Var adventure would last over time. But failed negotiations and an opportunistic arrival from the Pau Section later, the 27-year-old full-back finally joined Béarn. Yesterday, from the Gueules Cassées area of La Valette (where the Section has set up since Thursday), the Basque returned to this missed meeting.
What are your thoughts on the start of the Pau season?
It is not at the level of our ambitions, mainly due to defeats at home. Today there are 10 of usesthat's not what we were aiming for, especially before a very complicated trip to Toulon.
Personally, how do you rate your first months?
Joining a new adventure was an opportunity for me to challenge myself. On the ground, but not only that. I had to find my place in a new locker room, get out of my comfort zone. But ultimately, in a locker room, we all have the same passions, and we connect easily. Then we know: it is through the field that we integrate best, which is what I try to do.
When leaving Toulon, why did you choose to settle down in Pau?
I had discussions with other clubs, but no offer. The market for wingers/backs was blocked and the Section came with a lot of determination. From then on, the choice was either to extend to Toulon or to go to Pau. And I decided for the Section with a project that suited me, in a club that corresponds to my values. Quite serene, sure of his strengths and weaknesses, but who moves in one direction and does not change course at the slightest turbulence.
However, your discussions were very advanced for an extension in Toulon. What explains this turnaround?
I felt that the playing time that Toulon was going to offer me was not going to make me happy in rugby. So I preferred to take a gamble, to start with something new, in order to have all the cards in hand. In Toulon, I felt that I was no longer a priority. I had played a lot until then, but I was convinced that my playing time would decrease from season to season.
Paradoxically, the decision was taken last December, right in the middle of a very good start to the season. You played, continued, everything was going well for you…
It's true that I had continued during the first two months, in a team that was doing well, and with which I had a lot of fun. It was a good cycle, and our negotiations were advanced for an extension in Toulon. We even reached an agreement. But it was at this moment that the RCT completed the arrival of Melvyn [Jaminet]. I think the club wanted to have us both in the number 15 position, but I also knew that there were many of us in the back triangle, and that the arrival of Melvyn brought a high quality player/scorer who would play every weekend.
But it is legitimate for an ambitious club to have several high-level players in each position. Did you not see the arrival of Jaminet as an opportunity to confront what is best at the position?
I spoke about it with Pierre [Mignoni]who explained to me that there would obviously be competition, but that I would play. At the back and on the wing. And that Melvyn would sometimes be lined up at the opening. Except that when I put all the elements together, I realized that the season of Pierre's arrival [2022-2023]I had only been used very little on the wing [7 fois]but also that I had never seen Melvyn play as number 10. All that combined, I thought it was going to block. And if I was the guy who ended up on the sidelines, and my playing time dropped, I wouldn't be happy anymore.
Except that you had already given your agreement to Toulon…
It's true that we agreed with Pierre, but I never received the contract. After one, two, three weeks, I realized something was wrong. And in this space-time, Pau has arrived. Everything was negotiated in three days, so I understood that my future was probably not going to take place in Toulon.
Finally, during your last six months, you played little. How did you experience it?
I only had one desire: to end my adventure well. So I gave it my all every day, every training session. So I didn't play, and I understood that in Toulon there were very great players, and that if we wanted to do without an Aymeric Luc, we could do so. I was disappointed, but I gave it my all, because I didn't want to harbor any regrets.
In the middle of summer, how did you experience the announcement of Melvyn Jaminet's six-month suspension? Like a little revenge? Or with the regret of having left the club?
Neither. I had moved on to my adventure in Pau and I didn't think about that. On the contrary, I was happy to know that Marius [Domon] was going to have the opportunity to show himself. And he did it very well.
What will you ultimately remember from these three seasons in Toulon?
It's a club that marked my life. Because I arrived at 23, and I defined myself as a person. With my qualities and my faults. So these years will always hold a special place in my heart. Of course, there were ups and downs. But what I liked during these three seasons was this permanent tension, this need for absolute results. I loved this daily life and the fact of always being expected. So the ending didn't please me, made me sad, angry, but that's part of rugby. Careers are not linear and I prefer to use that for the future.
To conclude, what will be going through your mind when you step onto the Mayol pitch?
It won't be a normal match, because the memories are still fresh in me. Then it will be special, because I will almost know the 23 players opposite. But it will be a lot of fun, a lot of joy. I hope it will be a good match. And that we will manage to annoy the big RCT.
