Peato Mauvaka – Hooker of the XV of France. In November 2021, his double against New Zealand had already struck people's minds, as much as his tears in memory of his All Blacks fan dad. And it was against the same opponent, in the opening match of the last World Cup, that he definitely changed dimension. Since then, the Toulouse hooker has assumed another status.
“I hope it will still be a good memory.” It was thus, with the broad smile that characterizes him, that Peato Mauvaka first spoke of his link with the All Blacks, whom he will face again this weekend at the Stade de France. The last time he crossed their path was in the heart of the same venue, fourteen months ago, during the opening match of the World Cup. This meeting is so unique for each of the French players present on the match sheet… Surely even more so for him. Since that day, everything has changed. His career, his notoriety, his rise. “I realizehe told us last month. But, at the same time, I don't really know if I really realize it. It's all down to this World Cup and, unfortunately, Julien's injury (Marchand). It made me move up the hierarchy and into another dimension.” Only in the 12th minute, Marchand had to leave the Dyonisian pitch due to a hamstring which, despite his hopes, would put an end to his competition.
Mauvaka at work, for eternity. During the remaining sixty-eight minutes, the Caledonian delivered a recital, launching a World Cup in which he was the best Frenchman. “A World Cup at home, when you have the public behind you and you experience the opening match against New Zealand, it's already huge. Beating the All Blacks is also huge in a career . But then, mix the two in these conditions…” The match of a lifetime. At least, his. As a true romantic, Peato Mauvaka had treated himself to a nostalgic treat a few days before our interview. “I watched the match again recentlyhe admits. Even in front of the screen, I was struck by the excitement, the whole environment around us. In this context, we were so confident.”
“We were laughing against the All Blacks!”
The same feeling still emerges from his words: “There's one thing that really struck me about this match. I looked at our faces on the pitch and we were all smiling. Can you measure that? We were laughing while playing against the All Blacks, even though it's the best team in the world! Honestly, look at our reactions that day: every time there was a mistake on our part, everyone was positive. I notably reviewed one action, the one where I played quickly. penalty in the hand and the try is refused for a forward All the players of the French team were laughing. And it is precisely this ecstasy that he feeds on better than anyone when it comes to entering a state of grace. “It gave me chills to see these images againhe appreciates. I said to myself: “But how did I get the c… to do that?” (laughs). With adrenaline, after a while you feel unbeatable.” Mauvaka, this hooker who dares everything, capable of attempting chisteras, covering the third curtain, playing on the foot or jumping into touch.
Mauvaka, author of ten tries in thirty-five selections (and 34 in 172 matches in his career, which is enormous for a player of his position). Obviously, when it comes time to reunite with the “All Blacks”, he is no longer the same player. Nor the same man. “After the World Cup that I made, my image changed among rugby fanshe admits. Until then, I often heard that I was just a finisher, the guy who comes off the bench. But, in Toulouse, we were champions several times when I started the matches. We have to stop with that: there is no substitute, no starter, or I don't know what… I've always said it, I prefer to start matches.”
“When I enter the field, I play for him”
Mauvaka refers, among other things, to the Brennus Shield raised in 2019 or to the Champions Cup won in 2021. Both times, he was propelled to the forefront after Marchand's injury or suspension. An immense responsibility which had made him sublimate. “This is the story of my journeyhe proclaims. Do you know what I like? It's because people think that I'm being put under a lot of pressure. On the contrary, it's what gives me confidence. The greater the pressure, the better I handle it.” A reality, which again takes him… to New Zealand. In November 2021, it was another physical problem which deprived Marchand of the duel against the All Blacks, the one founding the first mandate of Fabien Galthié. “In fact, what happened there happened again during the World Cup. I was told that I was going to be number one. But experiencing it is different. Especially against this opponent. Any player of rugby dreams of facing New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, they are big teams but the All Blacks are something else. “
That of a kid who grew up in New Caledonia and whose dad was an All Blacks lover. This father tragically disappeared at the end of 2018, poisoned while eating a fish a few days before the son's first start in the Top 14. Since then, Mauvaka has constantly confessed: “When I go on a field, I play for him.” So, when he scored a double against his father's idols three years ago, we had to look no further for the origin of the tears which had overwhelmed his cheeks and moved an entire country.
“If I am confident…”
The difference, on a sporting level, today? He sums it up like this: “Last season was completely successful for me. It was the best of my career, at Stade Toulouse or with the French team. I say it again and again: if I am confident, that's when I free myself This has been the case all season.” Because, if Julien Marchand was available for the final phases of the Champions Cup and Top 14, it was Peato Mauvaka who wore number 2 on his back for both adventures. A strong choice from the coaches, while in March he experienced the only shadow in an idyllic picture on a personal level. “In the 6 Nations Tournament, we had a bad start to the competition and I came back as a substitute. only the performance counted. The fittest one would start. It went well and it continued until the end. He knows what he's talking about: “With Julien, I assure you that we have a good relationship and healthy competition. But, like me, he wants to start the matches. In any sport, you want to be a starter. But at club, we have learned to play as a pair, one who starts, the other who finishes and we can see that it works. The important thing is to understand why you start in a particular match and why that is not the case in one. other in the French team, it’s the same now.”
Because he is at least Marchand's equal. And that he is in the starting XV on this autumn tour. This is also why, despite the numerous requests, he chose to continue to coexist with his competitor and friend, by extending his stay at the Stade Toulouse until 2029. “Other clubs were interested but Toulouse is my rugby. I like playing, in the truest sense of the word, and no other team allows me to do it better in France. If I have to sign elsewhere, it will be in the southern hemisphere. At least I will be close to Nouméa.” And never far from New Zealand.
“The quarter-final? I’ll never see it again”
If Peato Mauvaka largely returned to the 2023 World Cup and the opening match against New Zealand, he also recognized that the memory of the quarter-final lost against South Africa was still extremely painful for him. And he decided not to harm himself: “I haven’t seen the quarter again and I never will.” Sincere and categorical. As when he adds, in an allusion to “Chasing The Sun 2”, the documentary series retracing the Springboks’ second consecutive world title: “Anyway, with the release of their series recently, they just put Etzebeth's action back on social media.”
Reference to the controversial rescue of the second line at the start of the match, depriving the French XV of a lead of fourteen points. “Frankly, 99 referees out of 100 whistle penalty attempts on thishe delivers. But not Ben O'Keeffe. It was annoying to come across these images every time… For me, there was a foul and I can still hear the referee, thirty meters away, saying that the ball is going backwards (He blows).” Proof that the scar will never close. But the hooker does not intend to pollute himself with this heavy past either: “We are back in a new cycle and we have to move forward. Otherwise, we will burn ourselves. Sometimes I think back to the World Cup and I say to myself that I really want to relive one other, to finally lift this trophy… But it's better to concentrate on the match that is coming.”
