This Saturday (9:05 p.m.), Perpignan hosts Toulon at Aimé-Giral. The Catalans' first big match at home this season against a team close to USAP. From identity, to values, to fervor, Guilhem Guirado and Maxime Mermoz, both of whom left Perpignan for La Rade, talk about what links these two historic clubs.
Two teams. Two identities. And crossed destinies. The contemporary glory days of the USAP and Toulon have never really matched. When the Catalans were aiming for the summits, Toulon was getting back on track in Pro D2 and had just returned to the Top 14. When the RCT dominated Europe with its superstars, the USAP was experiencing crisis in the second division. Only the quarter-final of the European Cup, on April 9, 2011, in Montjuic, Barcelona, won 29-25 by the Catalans served as the last real shock. A hell of a memory, which says a lot on the poster…
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But there are nonetheless two historic clubs, with seven Brennus shields for USAP and four for Toulon. And two Mediterranean clubs that represent much more than just jerseys that play oval ball. “We have to realize that, in both clubs, we play for an entire department, for people who are very attached to their club, not just for us, the players, says Guilhem Guirado, former hooker for USAP (2006-2014) and Toulon (2014-2019). In and around Perpignan, rugby is very well established. In the Var, it's something else. The RCT takes on another dimension because it somehow allows its department to exist, to stand out, in the middle of Bouches-du-Rhône and the Alpes-Maritimes, on land that is more about football.”
A common recurring and galvanizing pressure
“These are two clubs which have a real history and a real passion.it's in their DNArebounds three-quarter center Maxime Mermoz, at USAP from 2008 to 2012, then at RCT between 2012 and 2017. Before changing clubs, I asked myself: “If I win with this team, how can it be?” And, inevitably, when we project ourselves like this, clubs like Perpignan and Toulon make us want to sign there, more than Stade Français or Montpellier, without disrespecting them, who approached me for a while.”
And the three-quarter, who lifted a Brennus with the blood and gold and another with Toulon in addition to three European Cups, remembers moments that he could not have seen anywhere else: “During the final phase or before big matches, on the buses, instead of the destination and the line number, there could be a word of support for the club!” Unique moments, but which can be disturbing. “People in the street remind us very often that we are going to play an important matchconfides Guilhem Guirado. And we find these people at the stadium on weekends. So that definitely puts pressure. Positive pressure, I think. But some can collapse because it's not as intense everywhere.” “It's a galvanizing energy,” believes Maxime Mermoz.
When you arrive at these clubs, you become a soldier, you are on a mission for the team.
A common fervor. But, in an intimately linked way, an equally close DNA. “These are clubs where a bad result can be forgiven if you managed to mark the opponent, if you were present in the meeting points, and you knew how to bring a kind of ferocity to the pitch”reports the Cérétan hooker. Further proof that the USAP and the RCT embody more than rugby itself. There is real pride all around. An identification with what is happening on the meadow. “Winning or losing is not an end in itself. Giving everything, being there for the team, giving your all for the people who are ready to make sacrifices to pay for their stadium subscription is the real objective. Bernard Laporte , in Toulon, repeated it in every match With Perpignan, these are two clubs where you cannot cheat, it is prohibited.outbids the three-quarter center to the 35 selections. As soon as you arrive at these clubs, you become a soldier, you are on a mission for the team.”
Similar and galvanizing atmospheres. Which also help the players to integrate when they are familiar with these pressures. “Going from USAP to Toulon, or the other way around, is easy to integrate. We feel caught up in the same things. It’s important for the players. Pierre (Mignoni) and Frank (Azema) shape it in their own way to create a real group”analyzes the former captain of the Blues. Easy gateways for players, but also for supporters. They do not change sides, but they “like to go the opposite way for USAP-Toulon”smiles Guilhem Guirado, who “is part of it”. This Saturday evening (9:05 p.m.), in Aimé-Giral, that should still be the case. The party should be beautiful. The commitment and intensity on the pitch will undoubtedly be high. At least, if both teams play with their deep DNA.
