Heavily bothered by a shoulder injury during his last months in Paris, second row Mathieu De Giovanni offered himself a new chance in the South-West. Although he is gradually making his mark, he has already produced solid performances.
If there is one who should be happy on Sunday evening following the victory of Stade français against Racing 92 (40-24), it is Mathieu De Giovanni. The former Pink Soldier spent his entire life in the capital but decided, at the age of 30, to take a 360° turn. This is how this summer, he discovered Lot-et-Garonne. A fairly logical destination for him, as he told us upon his arrival: “I had many clubs interested but it’s true that Agen was a natural decision for me. From its past and the way I see Rugby, I quickly knew that this was the club that could suit me. »
During his last two seasons in the capital, the second line only played 308 minutes. Blame it on a major shoulder injury: “I dislocated my shoulder and then the screw blew out. So it’s been a tough year. »
Since the start of the season, he has played almost as many (280) in six match sheets. “I feel pretty good. It makes me feel good to be able to play rugby again after the hardships I experienced. That was the most important thing for me. »
Significant debut in Mont-de-Marsan
It was last September that the neo-agenais made his debut under his new colors in an official match, in the Landes at Mont-de-Marsan (Agen won 23-28, Editor's note).
“We had won so it was obviously important for me. But what really did me good was being able to be 100% quickly. I was able to do a full preparation by playing friendly matches. This gave me time to get back into shape.”he whispers.
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From a purely rugby point of view, the former Parisian has in any case shown great things on the pitch since his arrival in Lot-et-Garonne. But he faces big competition with Evan Olmstead, Vincent Farré and others: “I've still played quite a bit since the start of the season. And I tried to produce quality. Afterwards, my partners play good matches in the second row. And then in a team, you have to rotate. For the moment, I have integrated well and I want to do everything to help the team progress. »
Aside from rugby, Mathieu De Giovanni is living a peaceful new life with his family. “I live about ten minutes from Agen. It gives me peace of mind when I don't want to be in the city; and not to be too much of the city when I want to be there. I feel good. »
If he does not regret his choice, he now hopes to play a series of matches to make up for the time lost at the Stade Français. And even if he will always remain this Parisian at heart, De Giovanni seems to be familiar with the air of the province.
France
Rugby
