Paul Jedrasiak reveals what pushed him to sign for Castres

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Recovered from an injury which deprived him of the first championship matches, Paul Jedrasiak made his debut with Castres in Lyon during the 4^e day of Top 14. Before the meeting, the 2^e line delivered on the reasons for his transfer from Clermont to CO and on his first steps in the Tarn.

Paul Jedrasiak explains his choice to sign for Castres

Arriving in Auvergne at 17, Paul Jedrasiak could easily have been a one-club man. But at 31, and after 11 seasons spent wearing the colors of Clermont, the 2^e line wanted a fresh start. To give himself a boost, according to his explanations.

“What I came to Castres for was to question myself. For the first time, I left a club, it’s always special. It was a decision that had to be made and which was the right one to make. It happened very early in the season. Now the cards are in my hands,” he congratulates himself.

Leaving a familiar environment after more than a decade was certainly not a choice made lightly. But the native of Montluçon sees the positive side above all:

This change feels good, it galvanizes you. I have the impression that you become young again even at 31, and it’s not hard because you are well received, the club welcomed me well with my wife and my daughters, we found the crèche, we found the house. As the English say, I like to say, happy wife, happy life. Mentally, when you are well, everything goes well.

With his profile as a powerful fighter, he should feel like a fish in water in Castres.

He is made for Castres, the CO is made for him

Paul Jedrasiak could also have done this questioning, this exit from his comfort zone in another Top 14 team. It is anything but a coincidence that he chose Tarn as his new destination.

“I certainly came looking for the fact of putting my back against the wall, but also of finding myself in a strong collective. With a club culture which is based on the forwards but also on very good three-quarter play, unity, a club which loves its jersey. I’ve always known that and that’s what thrills me, this collective strength,” he enthuses.

Manager of the CO, the Irishman Jeremy Davidson is just as satisfied with the first weeks of training of his new player: “I find that he is a player who corresponds to Olympic Castres, a fighting player who has a very good state of spirit. He is someone who talks a lot, who is experienced, a 2^e line of challenge, work. When we recruit someone, we do in-depth research, and all our summer recruits are already well integrated. »

A thwarted preparation

So here is an acclimatization that is taking place under the best auspices! Except that Paul Jedrasiak saw his offseason thwarted by an injury suffered at the very end of last season.

“Obviously, when you arrive injured at a new club, it’s a bit complicated. I blew my pectoral during the last match with my old club, so I had to have surgery very quickly. The next week, I was on the operating table. I was quickly taken care of in Toulouse and then by the medical team here. Let’s say I met the CO physios a little earlier than expected,” jokes the 10-cap international.

He is now ready to do battle in the Top 14, but also to find a place in a pack of forwards where fierce competition reigns. But he also welcomes that with envy.

“It’s what drives you, it’s what makes you get up in the morning and perform even more. You arrive, you are 31 years old, you have experience but you have to prove yourself despite everything,” he admits.

We know that the battle is tough, the battle is complicated, the battle is also long in the Top 14. We have to fight together and that is positive because this competition, this emulation, is what I am too picked up in Castres.

After having to wait a few weeks, he is now ready to officially open a new chapter in his career. It will be in Lyon, Saturday September 22 at 4:30 p.m.

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