Renaud Lapierre (29 years old) is a machine driver during the week and rear of Saint-Estève/XIII Catalan at the weekend. The Catalan, who played for the XV last season, talks about his change of codes and his investment in the Baby Dracs.
Last year, you tried your hand at Rugby union with the Prades team, and this year you are back at XIII with Saint-Estève/XIII Catalan. Why this decision?
I loved my experience at XV last year with Prades, where I mainly played winger and I wanted to stay. But when St-Estève/XIII Catalan contacted me, I accepted because I always wanted to play XIII at the highest level.
Is your experience at XV currently serving you at XIII?
They are two different sports and two different styles but I think one serves the other. In rugby union, for example, there is a lot more footwork than in rugby union, which is sometimes a shame. These two perspectives allow me a new approach when I play on the field.
Has playing at this level changed any of your habits?
Yes, now I watch my matches every time after playing them. The coaches always find something to improve even in good matches, it allows us to evolve. Thanks to this questioning, we get out of our comfort zone, which I didn't do before.
Does the fact that the majority of your teammates are younger than you change anything for you?
It's true that only three or four of my teammates are of an age close to mine. The average age of my team is around 23, so the age difference is there. But most of them have more high-level experience than me. In our game, this youth brings us their madness and we can bring our maturity, our calm and our seriousness. It's quite complementary.
-Do you take on a leadership role within this team?
We try to help young people achieve their final goal. That is to say: integrate the Catalan Dragons, which is the objective of most of them. When we are younger, the hardest part is the defeats because we have the impression that everything is over, we are then there to re-motivate them.
After last weekend's defeat, how are you approaching the upcoming match against Limoux?
It's the first time this season that we've taken such a big slap (28-12 defeat in Lézignan, Editor’s note). We didn't expect to be dominated so much. Limoux are a very good team and we are going to get our heads above water to face them in the best possible conditions.
How do you manage to reconcile your professional and sporting life in addition to your private life?
I work Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on construction sites. Afterwards, I continue with evening training four times a week, the gym and match days on the weekend. 90% of the players on the team don't have any extra work on the side, so I really have to organize myself. I often come home late, and with a 2 and a half year old boy it's complicated to reconcile all that. And, unfortunately, on Sunday, we don't really have time to do a lot of activities.
What are your ambitions for the future?
At 29, we no longer have the same ambitions as at 20. I'm going to finish this year for the moment and I'll see. The Super XIII requires a lot of investment and it's tiring on top of my job. Afterwards, I plan to continue rugby but for fun.
