Vassily Venant, leader of Gratentour Rugby XIII, looks back on the victory against Villeneuve-Minervois and talks about his ambitions for this season.
Vassily, can you introduce yourself?
I am 30 years old, I trained at Toulouse Olympique from the age of 5 until the age of 17. I then went to play in Albi before returning to the Toulouse region to Gratentour.
What do you think of the team's collective performance and your individual performance after this victory against Villeneuve-Minervois?
Playing in very unfavorable weather conditions made the match choppy with a lot of hand faults. Collectively, we failed to organize and stick to our game plan. The forwards did a fantastic job for 80 minutes. Behind, we have clearly come through and all the work done upstream has not been rewarded. The scheduling of this first phase did not allow us to be able to string together matches and have the rhythm we need. We are still getting started but we will continue to work for the next deadlines.
Individually, like the match, I made some mistakes and waste products. I think I can give more to the team and work for it. It still remains a victory against a great team from Villeneuve-Minervois which is our direct competitor for qualification in DN2.
You, who are a former TO player, do you still follow this club and what do you think of the season in Super XIII and in the Championship of your former club?
We all know the economic difficulties that the club had last season. Despite a small number of personnel but of quality, the results are there. It's always a big disappointment to lose a final but the season is, in my opinion, a success. I wish them to quickly return to the Super League. The club, the city and French rugby union need it.
Concerning the Super XIII, the last few years have been difficult but the players and managers are not giving up. We have experienced this at Grantentour in recent years, it can only help the players and the club grow. I wish them to return to victory as quickly as possible.
Gratentour has recruited several former Elite players, what does that mean for you?
Indeed, the club has worked hard this summer to give itself the means to do something this year. Alexandre Mickalezyck, Arthur Gonzalez-Trique, Djamel Remok and Damien Wastjer are players who need no introduction. Thanks to their experience, they bring a lot of serenity and technique. The little details they instill in us improve the whole group. This is real added value.
The team, which has been rebuilding for two years, has clearly reached a milestone this season.
What are your ambitions for this season?
In this first phase, the objective is met, we are going to DN2. For the rest, this is my last season before stopping rugby for good. I want to finish well and bring home a title with the guys for this club which deserves it.
