“Les Bleus? I don’t really think about it,” admits Toulouse gem Gaël Dréan

He is the sensation of this first half of the season at Rugby Club Toulonnais. At 24, winger Gaël Dréan confirms his previous year (19 matches, 7 tries) and explodes in the Toulon jersey by being the co-best scorer in the Top 14 (10 tries in 9 matches, tied with Bayonnais Maqala) . Before the arrival of the Harlequins, this Sunday (2 p.m.), and an important month of January to confirm the good period of the team, this ‘UFO’ trained in Brittany and passed through the Fédérale 1 in Rennes explains to us his happiness and his good sensations. With humility, especially when we talk about the Quinze de France.

Gaël Dréan, you are currently co-top scorer in the Top 14. What does that give you?

Of course, on a personal level, it’s good. Afterwards, if we stop at that, we won’t go far. These are tries that we score thanks to what we do as a team on the weekend. So that’s good, but it doesn’t mean much.

If we go back a little, was there a trigger, a moment that mattered? Or is it a linear progression in your eyes?

No, I think it’s pretty linear. It also goes with the way the group is evolving this year for example. So it’s something that’s running its course. This is my third year here, I think I’ve done a little better each season. So it continues, it’s rather linear, I would say.

With the status of top scorer, do you feel stronger?

Stronger? No, I wouldn’t say that I feel stronger. I think it’s people who focus a lot on these numbers, these stats, these tests, in a way. I’m not very different, let’s say, from last year’s player. I think it’s a combination of circumstances. This year, maybe we can keep the balls apart more. I took perhaps more chances than last year, but I don’t feel particularly stronger by scoring these tries.

Concerning the RCT game, manager Pierre Mignoni said that it was necessary to “liberate the talents”. Do you sense any developments regarding the attack?

Yes, I think so. Clearly. On the progress we have had since the start of the season. At the beginning, we really didn’t touch many balls in the corridors, for the wingers. And there, we really enjoy these last matches. We score a lot more. So yes, I think we benefit from this collective work.

Is a team with wingers who score a sign of a team that is doing well?

Yes, I think that, especially at home, we succeed in getting the game going. We have had three offensive bonuses in the last few matches. So I think that when we score them, maybe it means that we can play more liberated, to try more things.

“If we continue to do what we are doing, we might have some nice surprises”

You will face Harlequins on Sunday (2 p.m.). Do you feel a special atmosphere in this competition?

This is a special competition. There’s a lot of play, there’s more rhythm, the matches are more intense. So we definitely approach it differently. But it’s good to feel this desire and this enthusiasm around this competition.

Is the difference real between Top 14 and Champions Cup?

Maybe in terms of rhythm, yes. Afterwards, in certain Top 14 matches, we have a very high level. Already physically, I think we are the championship where it hits the hardest. But I think that there are the rules and the refereeing which mean that in the European Cup, the game perhaps goes a little faster.

In Toulon, the enthusiasm is very strong and linked to your performances. Do you think you are legitimate to dream of a title at the end of the season?

I think it’s way too early. For example, last year, we had a pretty disastrous run in the Champions Cup. Here we start very well. I think we shouldn’t worry. And continue with what we’re doing. Normally, if we continue doing what we’re doing, we might have some nice surprises. So we’ll see. Here, especially when we win, we feel very good. I hope that we will continue our good momentum and that something nice will happen to us with this group.

There is undeniable progress. Is something going on, as the expression goes?

Yes, I think we’re good. This is a development that has been going on for a while. We have a group that hasn’t changed much for two years. So we know each other better and better. We work on the same things. So yes, we feel a little stronger.

We talked about your performances. At the end of the last match, many young Toulon supporters came to meet you, for autographs or to scratch a jersey. Everything is going very quickly for you?

Frankly, I don’t think much about it. The people here are really behind us. They are super nice. As they say, there are only smiles, encouragement, etc. So frankly, I take it with joy and smile, it makes me happy, and it makes them happy. I don’t think too much. I’m happy to be here and I feel very good in Toulon.

Do you often think of Brittany, having passed through Lorient, Plouzané and Rennes?

Yes, for sure I still follow all the clubs I’ve been through. Friends, family, I have a lot of connections there. I go back there very often. And it’s certainly a region that is close to my heart. So obviously, it’s at home too. So yes, I have a good link with Brittany.

Do you need guest rooms to accommodate Bretons looking for sun?

(Laughs) I don’t necessarily have a lot of spare rooms! But yes, I welcome with pleasure the Bretons who want the sun. Because they welcome me back when I want to come home too.

“Pierre (Mignoni) knows very well how to manage me”

Your teammate Jérémy Sinzelle said last Saturday about you: “If he has a temper, we’ll calm him down.” Did you have to laugh about it?

Yes, that doesn’t surprise me. And he further told me that he said that. He did it on purpose. He said it to give me coins. We get along very well with ‘Jérém’. Anyway, he’s a bit like our dad. And I think that if one day that happens, he will know how to reframe us. But that won’t happen!

We kind of have to talk about the French team with you. What would that mean and are you thinking about it?

Honestly, I don’t really think about it. Because today, we are in both competitions with Toulon. We have important matches every weekend. I focus on what is happening in Toulon. And I admit that I think we already have enough to do here for me to get ideas. We already have to work here.

Does it make you dream?

Obviously it’s a dream for every French rugby player. But I’m not going to talk much about this topic because there isn’t much to say.

When we discuss your case with Pierre Mignoni, we feel he is cautious and eager to calm things down. Do you feel that we are trying to protect you?

I don’t know if they want to protect me or not. Afterwards, I don’t necessarily need to be managed. There is no special trick put in place. Pierre knows what he is doing. I trust him.